The Waning Light of the Moon
by Alcandre
Summary: Chaos has been defeated and the senshi have gone their separate ways. Usagi is left in Japan, alone. And she isn't happy. But Tsukino Usagi isn't one to complain, especially when she wants the best for her friends.
1. Chapter 1

A new story! And it's Sailor Moon! I haven't done one of these in years! I feel so nostalgic! *sniff*

Anyway, I don't own Sailor Moon. Never have, never will. I'm just using these characters for my own enjoyment and hopefully yours as well.

Warning: Angst and hurt/comfort lie ahead. I don't know about romantic relationships yet.

Also, this little gem came from watching Sera Myu. Nuff said…

**Author's Note:** This story focuses more on the manga story of Sailor Cosmos instead of the anime. In the manga, to those who haven't read it, Chibi-Chibi turns out to be Sailor Cosmos, who is Sailor Moon's ultimate form from the future. But it's a future where everyone Cosmos loves is dead. That is why she became Chibi-Chibi and journeyed to the past; to stop that future from happening. Usagi wasn't supposed to become Sailor Cosmos for a while…

I wanted a story with a mature, quiet Usagi. And this is what I got…

Now, on with the story!

**The Waning Light of the Moon**

The sun slowly crept up, its light sweeping over buildings and trees with radiance that would dazzle anyone awake to see it. Of course, over half the city was still asleep. Except for one particular person, who was just getting home.

The front door slowly opened and a blonde pigtailed young lady shuffled into the two bedroom house. "I'm home," she muttered as she locked the door behind her.

Her clothes were rumpled and her hair a mess. The fact that her pigtails were still up was a miracle in itself. Her bloodshot blue eyes were half closed and her face was a little paler than it should be.

"Where have you been?"

She looked over at the cat standing on the back of the sofa. "Youma attack earlier this morning."

"Usagi," the cat said as she jumped to the floor. "You've been gone for two hours! It doesn't take that long to kill a single youma."

Usagi yawned and pulled off her jacket. "It does when it's across the city and looked like a huge body builder. I've got bruises in places I didn't know existed." She yawned again and shuffled to her bedroom. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Luna, I'm going to fall into my bed and sleep for as long as I can."

Luna watched with concerned eyes as the girl she had known for 6 years did just that.

The past two years had been hard on the reincarnated princess. And it was starting to show.

Chaos had been gone for four years now. And Usagi and the rest of the senshi had gotten through high school without any more attacks. Sure, there was the stray youma that popped out from nowhere, intent on destroying the Sailor Senshi but they were easily taken care of. But it was after high school that things started to change.

The senshi started leaving to pursue their dreams. And Usagi didn't stop them. Luna argued with her until she was blue in the face but the kind hearted girl wouldn't budge.

"_They have every right to chase after their dreams, Luna! They've stayed with me for so long. I can't stand in their way."_

So, in the end Ami had finally gotten to go to Germany, Makoto was in France studying under the finest chefs around, Rei was in Tibet for miko training, and Minako was traveling around modeling. The outers were all in England, Haruka and Michiru touring, and Setsuna just being there for Hotaru when she wasn't at the Gates of Time. And Mamoru…

Luna scowled at the thought of the Prince of Earth. He had left as well. His desire to study in America hadn't left after his star seed was returned. He told Usagi and she just nodded, handed him the ring he had given her, kissed him on the cheek, and smiled a small smile. No words were said. He had just looked into her sad eyes, nodded, and left.

Luna jumped up onto Usagi's bed and looked at the sleeping fighter of justice. The poor girl was exhausted and it made Luna's heart break. But it wasn't only exhaustion that was hurting the girl. She was lonely. All of her friends were gone. She had no one but Luna and her family. Sure letters came and phone calls were made but not as frequently as they used to. Usagi was a social person and not having people around her was slowly making her wilt.

The black cat sighed and curled up next to her charge, who in turn muttered something and laid a hand on her soft fur.

'What about your dreams, Hime? Do they not matter?' Luna thought as she closed her red eyes.

* * *

Usagi's eyes didn't open again until after noon and that was only because her stomach was growling loud enough to wake the dead.

She slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes. Her body ached. But thankfully nothing worse than a few bruises adorned her body. And that was way better than the horribly nasty cut that she had gotten last month from an equally horribly nasty youma.

The sound of the TV motivated her to leave her bed and pad into the den. Luna was sitting on the couch watching the afternoon news, her red eyes riveted to the screen.

"Hey, Luna," Usagi muttered, sitting beside the black cat.

"Hello, Usagi-chan. Are you feeling better?"

The blonde nodded and absently mindedly stroked Luna's back. "I feel much better." She turned to the TV. "So anything interesting happening in the world today?"

"Minako-chan was seen coming out of a café in Paris today. That's about the most exciting thing."

Usagi gave a small smile. "She's probably visiting Mako-chan."

Luna glanced up at her charge. Usagi looked fine with the fact that Minako would visit Makoto so often and not visit her but Luna could see the hurt deep in the blonde's eyes.

"She'll probably drop by here next," Luna said weakly, knowing it wasn't true.

Usagi nodded and stood up. "I'm hungry," she stated. "Let's cook something. You up for it?"

They had just finished eating and were cleaning up the kitchen when Usagi suddenly stopped what she was doing and stared off into space.

"Nani?" Luna asked from her spot on the counter top. "Is it a youma?"

The tingling feeling in Usagi's stomach continued to grow. The blonde head nodded as she closed her blue eyes. "It's close to Juuban High School." She sat the plate she was washing back in the sink and looked over at Luna. "I'll be back in a bit." She took off the apron she was wearing and patted the cat's head. "If my boss calls, tell him I'm gonna mail the next part to him by Express Mail this evening."

Luna just nodded as Usagi ran out the door, transforming into Sailor Cosmos before she even hit the street.

"Be careful," the cat muttered.

The phone rang just ten minutes later. Luna quickly jumped up on the table beside the couch and hit the speaker phone button.

"Moshi moshi?"

"Usagi! Where the hell is the rest of your shit?" A loud voice blared through the phone, making Luna wince.

"Hello, Sanchi-san," she said politely. "Usagi's not here at the moment."

"Luna?" the voice said in a softer tone. "Is that you?"

"Hai, as I said Usagi is out. But she did tell me to let you know that she is mailing you everything by Express Mail tonight."

"Oh." Silence reigned for a second. "Arigatou, Luna. It's good to know that Usagi has such a responsible roommate."

Luna stifled a laugh. "Usagi has finished everything, Sanchi-san. She just needed the stamps."

Sanchi cleared his throat, embarrassed by his earlier outburst. "Of course. Of course. That's fine. She never fails to get it to me on time and in perfect condition." Another second of silence. "Well, I must be going. It's good to talk to you, Luna. We really should meet face to face someday."

"We'll see, Sanchi-san. Good day to you."

"Right. Ja ne."

A dial tone told Luna that Usagi's boss hadn't waited for her farewell.

"Baka," Luna muttered as she curled up on the couch to take a catnap.

* * *

Sailor Cosmos grunted in pain as her back connected with a brick wall. The youma she was fighting smirked and let out a laugh, which actually sounded like a gurgle of some kind.

"So, the pretty girl in the short skirt can't really fight? This is going to be easier than I thought!"

Cosmos cracked her eyes open and watched as the ugly thing stomped towards her. But before it got any closer she just held up her scepter and closed her eyes. A bright light covered the area and when she opened her eyes again, the youma was gone.

A sigh escaped the now silver haired fighter of justice and she slowly stood up, wincing as bruises from the night before along with what felt like a cracked rib screamed their protests.

It was getting to be too much. Sure, since she was now Sailor Cosmos she was stronger but it seemed that these so called "rogue youma" were stronger as well.

With another sigh and a quick glance around, Sailor Cosmos jumped up to the roof of the building she had hit just moments ago. And she started home, the tears running down her cheeks such a common occurrence that she didn't even acknowledge them.

As Cosmos leapt from rooftop to rooftop, she imagined what Luna would say when she got home. The same thing she said after every youma fight.

"_You need help, Usagi! Call the others! They will help you!"_

And she would argue back with the same thing. _"I don't need help, Luna! I'm Sailor Cosmos now. I'll be fine."_

"_You shouldn't have become Cosmos so soon, Usagi-chan! You know that!"_

"_I was needed. That's all."_

"_The others are needed."_

"_Iie! Luna, they have their own lives now. They don't need to protect me anymore. I'm fine."_

"_What if you get killed?"_

"_Then I die. At least they would have led a normal life."_

That same conversation played out every day at some point. Cosmos shook her head and landed in an alleyway close to her house. After de-transforming, she left the alley and continued home, trying to ignore the pain in her body and her heart. She may want her friends to live normal lives, but she was horribly lonely.

Her blue eyes hardened. But it was just the way it had to be. If her friends weren't involved in fighting then they wouldn't be in danger of dying. And the future that Sailor Cosmos told her of when she was 16 wouldn't come true.

But what Usagi didn't realize is that as she was trying to avoid one horrible future, another future was forming. One that had Sailor Cosmos just as lonely, cold, and heartbroken.

Luna watched as Usagi entered the house. Something needed to be done. But what?

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Here's the next chapter! Hurray! I have to say, I love writing this story. A mature Usagi makes me happy, even when she's sad!

Thanks to all the reviewers! You guys have made me so happy. And if you haven't reviewed, I hope you are enjoying this story. And drop me a line! Reviews and comments keep me motivated.

**Tenchi Knight**: I'm glad you are reading this story! But I wonder, what made you pick it up? Are you a Sailor Moon fan or was it just for the heck of it? But whatever the reason, thanks for reading!

**SailorMoonFansince1998**: Love the name! Me, I've been a fan since 2001…so you have me beat.

**Tenshi-Chikyuu**: I think you will like the 3rd Chapter. ^_~

**Himeru**: Updated! And with love! For you! Hehe

**Kaylen Cooper**: And I'm glad to be writing another Sailor Moon story. It takes me back. However, this one is definitely different from my previous ones.

**Paige**: And I'm excited, too! Especially for our Sailor Moon fest in June! YAY!

**Dainlord:** Updated. After getting your review I knew I needed to update pretty soon. So…here!

And last but not least, someone I forgot to mention in the last chapter….thanks to Laura for being an awesome beta and an even better friend!

Last thing: Don't own Sailor Moon. Done…now on with the chapter…

**The Waning Light of the Moon**

_A small apartment in France_

Aino Minako turned over on her side and slowly opened her eyes, giving a small yelp when her blue eyes met her best friend's green.

"Mako-chan! I swear, you try to give me a heart attack every morning!"

The brunette kneeling by her bed giggled and stood up. "Hey, I have to get you up somehow, ne?"

Minako rolled her eyes. "You could just bring me breakfast in bed."

Kino Makoto gave a bark of laughter. "Riiiight!"

"Hey, I'm the guest here! I should get whatever I want!"

"Like you don't get that every day from your 'adoring fans?'" Makoto said with a smirk then ran out of the guest room with an enraged blonde on her heels.

Makoto was cooking breakfast while Minako was sitting at the table reading the Paris newspaper when the phone rang. The brunette quickly pressed the speaker phone button and continued her cooking as she said "Allo?"

"_Mako-chan?"_ a timid voice said from the phone.

"Hai?" Makoto asked, reverting back to her native tongue at hearing her name said like that.

"_This is Luna."_

"Ah, Luna!" Makoto glanced over at Minako, who was now sporting a grin. "How are you and Usagi-chan?"

"_Well, I…we…it's…um…"_

"_Ne, Luna. Who are you talking to?" _A new voice said from Luna's end.

"_Usagi!"_ Luna sounded flustered. _"No one. Just a sales call."_

"_Honto? I didn't even hear it ring."_

Forced laughter came from Luna. _"I was sitting right here when it rang. I got it on the first ring. Didn't want to wake you."_

"_Oh. Okay. Are you hungry?"_

"_Sure. I'll get off the phone and help." _There was a slight pause. _"I'm sorry. But we aren't interested. Arigatou." _And then a dial tone.

Makoto slowly pressed the button to end the tone and looked over at the blonde sitting at her table. "That was weird."

"Hai," Minako said softly.

Silence reigned over the kitchen for a few seconds until…

"Did you hear Usagi's voice?" Minako asked with an even softer voice than before.

Makoto nodded. "She sounded tired."

"And sad."

"And older."

Again…silence.

"When was the last time you visited her?" Makoto asked, sitting down across from Minako.

Minako closed her eyes in thought and then shook her head. "It's been over a year. I've emailed her a lot and call her every once in a while. But whenever I mention visiting she always changed the subject. So I just stopped mentioning it."

"Same here," Makoto said, looking down at the table. "You think she's okay?"

The senshi of Venus sighed. "Luna wouldn't have called to chat, you know? Something's wrong."

Makoto nodded. "What should we do? Usagi obviously doesn't want to see us?"

"What about Rei and Ami? Have you heard from them?"

"Hai, I spoke to Rei just last week and Ami right before that. You?"

"About the same." Minako looked up at her friend. "Does it seem weird to you that we speak to each other more than we speak to Usagi?"

"What do you mean?" Makoto asked, even though she had a pretty good idea what Minako was saying.

"Usagi brought us all together. She's our princess and best friend and yet we are each in a different country doing our own thing. We've left her in Japan with her cat and we barely talk much less visit her."

"But she doesn't make the effort either," Makoto pointed out, playing the Devil's Advocate.

The blonde head nodded. "Maybe that's the point."

The only sound in the apartment in Paris was the hum of the AC.

* * *

_A small meditation room in a jinja in Tibet_

The ringing of the phone broke Rei's concentration and she was brought back to reality rather abruptly.

"I need to take the phone out of my room. This happens way too much," she muttered as she reached over to answer.

"Rei," she stated as her form of greeting.

"_Rei-chan, it's Luna."_

"Luna? What's wrong?"

"_It's Usagi." _Luna sounded rushed and worried which in turn made Rei worried.

"What about her?"

"_She's been really-" _The sound of a door opening on Luna's end interrupted the cat. But the loud thud like something hitting the floor that followed caused even more worry to the miko. But it was what Luna yelled next that made Rei's heart jump.

"_Usagi?"_

Then nothing, just a dial tone.

"What the hell?" Rei muttered, still holding the phone in her hand.

* * *

_A student's apartment in Germany_

Ami was actually kind of glad when the phone rang. She had been studying for over four hours and her eyes and brain, believe it or not, needed a break.

"Ja?" she said into the phone.

"_Ami-chan, it's Rei."_

"Rei-chan! How are you?"

"_I'm okay, but I think something's happening at home."_

"What makes you say that?"

A sigh could be heard from Rei and Ami could just picture the raven-haired woman shaking her head. _"It's weird. I got a phone call from Luna just a few minutes ago. She said something about Usagi then got interrupted by something before yelling Usagi's name and hanging up."_

"Hai," Ami muttered. "I think that qualifies as something happening at home."

"_I think I'm going to call Mako-chan and Minako-chan. See if they know anything."_

Ami nodded. "Sounds like a good idea. Let me know, will you?"

"_Hai," _Rei said softly. She sighed again. _"I feel bad. I haven't talked to Usagi-chan in over two months. I hope she's okay."_

"Me, too, Rei-chan." Ami looked over at her coffee table and at the picture on top of it of all five of them right before she left Japan for Germany. "Me, too."

* * *

"Usagi-chan."

The voice edged its way into the darkness, jolting her from the dream-like state she was in. And with the voice came the pain.

"Usagi-chan."

She squeezed her eyes tighter, hoping that the voice and the pain would go away. But they didn't.

"Usagi, please wake up."

She finally relented and opened her eyes, hearing a soft gasp as she did so. As her vision focused, she noticed Luna above her, sitting on the floor beside her and examining her with anxious red eyes. But there was shock in the eyes as well.

"Luna," she muttered, struggling to sit up. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" the cat said anxiously. "You're asking me what's wrong?" She shook her head and looked back at Usagi. "I get the scare of my life when you come home and fall to the floor in a dead faint and you're asking _me_ what's wrong?"

Usagi just blinked.

"Usagi, you were out for thirty minutes! Your leg is bleeding, your arm looks like I used it as a scratching post, you have a lump the size of my head on your head, your hair is silver, and your eyes are a dark Copenhagen blue! So, you tell me what's wrong!"

"My hair is silver?" Usagi looked at her shoulder and sure enough, flowing down her shoulder and onto the floor was silky, silver hair; hair that is usually only there when she is Sailor Cosmos. "Well, that's interesting," she muttered as she ran her fingers through the hair in question. "I guess that Cosmos' attributes are coming to the forefront since I've been fighting so much lately. And my eyes are darker, too, huh? I never knew Cosmos had darker eyes. That's pretty cool."

"Did you not hear anything else I said?" Luna asked with a screech. "You're bleeding, Usagi. You need to go to the hospital."

"Iie," Usagi said as she slowly stood up. "We have bandages and Aspirin. I'll be fine."

Luna watched as Usagi stumbled to the bathroom, shedding her blood stained clothes along the way.

'I hope the girls are at least aware that something is going on here,' Luna thought before she followed her charge. 'She needs help that I can't give her and that bandages won't fix.'

To be continued…

**Little side note here: The entire time I revamped this chapter and wrote the Author's Notes I had Pachelbel's Canon in D Major running through my head. Just had to put that in here since I LOVE that song! Especially the Canon Rock version. **


	3. Chapter 3

Well, here's the next chapter, guys! I'm glad y'all are liking it! And thanks to all the people who reviewed!

_Taylor_: I'm glad you got excited! That makes me excited!

_Bunnykiss: _Oh, I plan to keep going…I plan to finish it! Yay!

_Himeru_: *sniff* Do you know how long I've waited to hear you say that? And it has finally come! I love you, too! ^_~

_Kaylen Cooper_: Thank you very much!

_Dainlord_: Yeah, Luna on the phone had me grinning, too. But Luna's a smart cat…she can do anything. As for the Outers…I love them as well. But I'm not sure about them being in the story. We'll see…

_Shinohime_: Here's more!

_Jaguarsolaris_: I like a mature Usagi as well. She grows up nice, ne?

_Sasumiofjp_: It is sad…but happy is on the way…

_Tenshi-Chikyuu_: Thank you! Luna's so smart, isn't she?

_Serandi82: _Pachelbel makes me happy…just like your review! *smacks forehead* God, that was cheesy!

_Paige_: Luna would have to grow fingers if she didn't have speakerphone! Now, that would be a funny picture!

_Rory Von Trapp_: THANK YOU! You make me so happy.

_Bin82501:_ Here's the next chapter! I'm glad you like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. There, that's done.

Side Note: I know nothing about manga writing or editing. So, don't criticize me if I get it wrong. But I know the mangas have to be edited. However, that's as far as my knowledge goes…

And as always…thanks, Laura!

* * *

Usagi stared at the rough draft in front of her. It was horrible. Mistakes were everywhere. And not just in the wording but also in the drawings.

'A six year old could have done this,' she thought darkly before circling a character's hand that only had four fingers.

Her job was to proof-read mangas before they hit the selves. When she took the job she thought it would be fun and one step closer to getting her own manga published. But that was two years ago and her finished manga had yet to see the light of day, spending its life in her desk drawer.

'But it makes money,' she thought, putting her red pen down and looking at her lap. She was tired of reading this disaster of a manga. She needed a break.

"Luna!" she called.

Soft footfalls could be heard coming from the den until the black cat was standing in the doorway to her office. "Hai, Usagi-chan?"

"You want to go for a walk? I need to get out. This rough draft is driving me crazy."

Luna nodded and watched as the now silver-haired young woman stood and stretched. "You know, you should really send in your manga to Sanchi-san. I guarantee it would get published."

Usagi gave a snort of laughter and shook her head as she walked out of the room, the cat following. "You really think Sanchi-san would do anything with something with my name on it? That man doesn't respect me at all."

"Then send it in with a different name on it," Luna shot back.

Usagi looked at the cat then slipped her shoes on in silence. "Maybe. But not today. Maybe after all this youma business has ended." She grabbed her keys. "Come on, maybe Motoki will be at The Crown. A chocolate shake sounds good about now."

Luna gave a jump and landed on her charge's shoulder. And as they headed down the street, she studied Usagi at the corner of her eye.

'She seems to be a little better this morning. Maybe not fighting a youma last night helped a little.'

The two were already a ways down the street when the phone back at the house started ringing. But when the answering machine picked up all that was heard was a dial tone.

* * *

"She didn't answer."

Green eyes looked up from the television. "Luna didn't even answer?"

"Iie," Minako said as she sat beside Makoto on the sofa.

The brunette shrugged. "Maybe they went out." She didn't look any less worried, though.

The only sound in the room for the next few minutes was the cheesy music from the French soap opera playing. Until…

"I'm going to visit her," Minako said suddenly.

"Nani?"

"Especially after what Rei said when she called. I _need _to visit her."

"So, you're just going to drop everything and go?" Makoto studied her friend, admiring her heart and will.

The blonde stood up and pulled out her cell phone. "She needs a friend. I can feel that. She sounded so lonely, Mako-chan. I can't just sit here anymore while she's by herself in Japan."

Makoto blinked and stood up as well. "I'll come with you."

Minako shook her head as she dialed her agent. "Iie, not right now. Imagine how she would feel if we all showed up on her doorstep. It'd be a little overwhelming, ne?"

The other girl sighed and sat back down. "You're right. But you will keep me updated, won't you?"

"Of course," the senshi of love stated before talking to her agent about booking a flight to Japan as soon as possible.

* * *

Usagi settled in the same corner booth she and her friends would always occupy back during their school days. But this time she was alone, except for the black cat sitting beside her, who was currently trying to look like she _wasn't_ reading the paper.

"Ne, Usagi-chan," Luna muttered without trying to move her mouth too much. A cat in The Crown wasn't too bad, especially since Usagi was good friends with the owner, but a talking cat reading the paper was pushing it just slightly.

"Nani?" Usagi said before taking a sip of her chocolate shake.

"Did you see this article?" Luna pushed the paper in front of the young woman, watching as she scanned the article.

And what an article it was. It was discussing the increase in youma attacks lately and the reporter was wondering why there seemed to be only one senshi around town these days. Where did the others go? Weren't they worried about Tokyo and their friend?

"Mmm," Usagi said, fiddling with the straw to her shake. "Maybe Sailor Cosmos should set up a press conference."

Luna looked up at the silver-haired girl with wide eyes. "Talk to the press? Do you think that's wise?"

"I can't have them bashing my senshi. Besides, nobody has been hurt, ne?" She pushed the paper back over to Luna. "I think they were just having a slow news day."

Luna looked back at the paper, silently agreeing with Usagi.

"Usagi-chan!"

Usagi looked up and smiled at the blonde-haired man quickly walking towards them.

"Motoki-kun!" She waved the older man over, a small light appearing in her eyes that hadn't been present for the past few days. Luna noticed and gave a slight nod. Here was a friend who talked to her as often as he could. However, the twinkle in the dark blue eyes of her hime wouldn't last for long after they left. Motoki could only do so much.

"I was told you came in here but that you had silver hair," Motoki said, sitting in the booth across from Usagi. "I didn't believe it at first but…wow, Usagi-chan! That's a good look for you! What happened?"

Usagi's smile fell for a split second, so fast that Motoki didn't even catch it. But Luna did. She knew all of Usagi's expressions and body language. Her hime was upset about having to tell a lie (albeit one she had been telling for years) to one of the few friends who still seemed to care about her.

"A slight highlighting incident," Usagi said with a giggle and wave of her hand. "Don't make me go into details. It's embarrassing."

Motoki took the lie, swallowed it, digested it, and let it settle in with all the other lies she had told him over the years. It was a common occurrence and one he knew would not happen if it wasn't completely necessary. "Cool. Well, it looks good on you. You look very mature. Sophisticated and sexy."

Usagi gave a short bark of laughter. "Gross, Motoki-kun. Don't call me sexy. You're like a brother to me!"

The blonde laughed. "Hey, even big brothers can see when their little sister will attract attention from the surrounding males and probably a few females."

Usagi blushed like a schoolgirl and giggled yet again, causing a small smile to form on Luna's face.

Motoki smiled and stood up with a sigh. "I, unfortunately, have to get back to work. Being the owner doesn't mean I don't have to do anything." He looked Usagi in the eyes. "The dark blue really compliments your hair, Usa-chan. You are beautiful, imoto-chan, inside and out. Don't ever let anyone tell you different."

Usagi gave a soft gasp then quickly scooted out of the booth, grateful for Luna's cat reflexes, and threw her arms around Motoki's waist, burying her face in his chest.

"I love you, oniisan!"

"I love you, too, imoto-chan." He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. "And keep your chin up. I promise it will get better. So, don't worry."

The young woman nodded into his chest, holding back the tears that threatened to spill over. "Arigato," she muttered.

"Douitashimashite," he answered. "I'll be here if you need me. Keep fighting the good fight," he said with a wink when she looked up with a startled glance.

She studied his face and then let a smile break across her face. "Hai, I will. I promise."

* * *

Her plane landed in Tokyo at 8 a.m. She hadn't slept a wink. Okay, maybe she had. She couldn't really tell. But suddenly sitting up with drool clinging to your cheek is usually a good sign that sleep had indeed been a visitor; a lengthy one at that.

But she actually felt like she had been hit with a truck and then hit again when the same truck decided to back up.

'But it's for Usagi,' she thought as the captain came over the speaker, welcoming the passengers to Japan, first in French and then in Japanese.

"Ms. Aino," a flight attendant asked in French as the fasten seatbelt sign flashed off. "Will you be needing anything else before you leave?"

"Iie," Minako said with a sleepy smile. "Arigato."

The woman's eyes widened and a smile lit her face. "Welcome home, Aino-san. Enjoy your stay."

Minako smiled and left the plane, a light feeling entering her body at being back in the country that had brought her so much joy in her teenage years. Joy with a little pain.

'But,' she thought, making her way to the baggage claim. 'What is joy without a little pain?'

As she watched the baggage carousel, her thoughts sobered. She hoped Usagi, the girl who had made her feel so loved and welcome, wasn't having more pain than joy these days. Unfortunately, Minako had a feeling that was just the case she was going to see.

* * *

The doorbell ringing made Luna's head whip around so fast she was surprised she didn't get whiplash. Who, in the name of Selene, could that be? She and Usagi never got unexpected visitors. Her parents always called first, Motoki had just talked to Usagi yesterday, and Naru, Usagi's friend from junior high, was out of the town for the week.

"Probably a salesman," Luna muttered, closing her eyes and settling down for a catnap. Usagi had left just twenty minutes before after feeling the tingling in her stomach, signaling a youma's appearance. Whoever it was would probably go away after a while.

But they didn't. The ringing continued, along with a few knocks to shake things up. And Luna was about to get really irritated when an unexpected voice came from the other side of the door.

"Luna? Usagi?" A knock followed again. Then another ring of the doorbell. "Luna? Are you there?"

"Minako-chan?" Luna said in shock.

To be continued…

_Japanese Translations:_

_Hai – yes_

_Iie – No_

_Arigato – Thank you_

_Douitashimashite – You're welcome_

_Imoto-chan – Little Sister_

_Oniisan – Big brother_

_Youma – monster (sort of. They aren't demons…)_

_Hime - princess_

_I'll add more if more come up. I'm using an actual handheld dictionary…so spellings may differ from translation to translation. _

Please review!

**Sooo, I didn't realize my page breaks weren't coming through on . So...changes have been made. Sorry, guys!**


	4. Chapter 4

Here it is, Chapter 4! Just a few notes before we get started…(I wonder how many people really read these things…).

I want to thank every single person who reviewed the last chapter!

**Sasumiofjp, alexa, Himeru, Jovian Sun, Bin82501, Jaguarsolaris, marie 53, Tenshi-Chikyuu, Sailormoonfansince1998**

You guys rock, seriously! Getting reviews really motivate me to continue. I love seeing people putting me and this story on their alert lists but getting a review is even better. So, I'm begging you guys, please review! I tend to write a little faster when I get reviews. They make me feel great!

Also, I have been watching the anime "K-on!" lately. And I LOVE it! I've laughed my fool head off every episode. So, if you haven't seen it, go watch it. What's funny is I can totally see the ensemble I'm a part of in that anime. So, I think that makes it even better for me.

I don't own Sailor Moon.

And last but not least….Thanks, Laura! You really helped out on this chapter! Yay for awesome betas!

* * *

"Hey, Luna!" The smile in Minako's voice came through, even through the door. "Why don't you let me in so the neighbors don't think I'm weirder than I already am?"

Luna shook her head, her shock giving way to amusement, as she walked to the door. "Minako-chan, you know I can't open the door."

"Why not?"

"No opposable thumbs."

There was a moment of silence from outside until laughter could be heard. "Oh, yeah. My bad."

Luna could picture the senshi of Venus scratching the back of her head. The cat sighed and smiled. "There is, however, a spare key under the rock beside the door."

"Oh! Cool!" Again, silence until…"AAAAAHHHHHH!"

"Nani!" Luna yelled, picturing a youma appearing out of nowhere and attacking the blonde before she could transform.

"There are bugs under here!" Came the terrified phrase.

Luna sighed and closed her eyes. 'I forgot how much energy it takes to keep up with that girl,' she thought.

"Just snatch it out," Luna said.

Noises of disgust were heard until a triumphant yell probably scared the bugs into hiding. 'And she was worried about the neighbors before,' Luna thought.

Seconds later, the door opened with Minako grinning and holding the key in the air. "And the goddess of love and beauty wins again!"

Luna laughed and jumped into Minako's arms. "Minako-chan! How are you?"

Minako hugged the cat to her chest. "I'm great, Luna! What about you?"

"I'm okay," she said, jumping down to the floor. "Where's Artemis?"

Minako closed the door behind her and slipped off her shoes. "He's in London with the Outers. I didn't know how long I would be gone this time and he expressed interest in seeing them." She slipped on the guest slippers before stepping into the house. "Where's Usagi-chan?"

The blonde, in all of her 6 years in knowing Luna, had never seen the black cat stutter so badly. It would have been amusing in any other situation and if it hadn't involved Usagi.

"Usagi-chan? She-she-she's out. Hai, out."

"Doing what?" Minako asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Doing what?" Luna squeaked. "Um, running errands?"

Another blonde eyebrow was raised when Luna formed that last answer like a question. "You don't sound too sure about that…"

"But I am sure!" Luna practically screeched. "Here, let's call her and see when she'll be home!" She jumped up to the phone and pressed the button programmed with Usagi's number.

It rang five times before Usagi answered.

"_Luna? What's wrong?"_

Minako took a few steps closer to Luna, listening intently. Her friend sounded winded.

"Um," Luna said nervously, glancing at Minako from the corner of her eye. "You have a visitor."

"_A visitor?"_ Usagi asked before giving a small grunt.

"Are you okay?" Luna asked, her eyes growing worried.

"_Um, yeah, I'm fine." _Some shuffling could be heard for a second and then Usagi continued. _"Some little kid ran into me. You wouldn't think the grocery store would be this busy on a Wednesday morning, ne?"_

Luna gave a nervous giggle. "So, are you almost done?"

"_Hai, I'll be home soon. Tell whoever it is to make themselves at home."_

"Hai, ja." Luna pressed the button to end the call before turning around to look at the blonde who was dangerously close to sticking her nose in Luna's ear. "Ahhh! Minako-chan! Personal space is a must!"

Minako blushed and backed up. Clearing her throat to regain her composure she locked eyes with Luna. "Why didn't you tell her it was me?"

Luna studied the blonde, seeing the worry in her blue eyes. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell Usagi's close friend about everything that had happened but she knew that would hurt Usagi more than a youma ever could. She did what she could. She alerted the senshi.

"Let's make it a surprise," Luna stated.

* * *

Usagi barely got the communicator closed before a giant clawed hand swiped at her. She ducked and weaved to the left, avoiding a very painful hit.

'So, I have a visitor,' she thought as she leapt above the youma's head and threw a hard kick to its shoulder. 'I wonder who it is.'

The youma howled and turned around, snarling.

'Probably Mama.' She gave a soft grunt as a claw scraped her leg. But that didn't stop her. She pointed a finger at the creature and a small beam of pure white light hit the thing squarely in the chest. It flew back a few feet before slumping to the ground, breathing heavily. 'She hates it when Luna or I talk about my fighting. But I can't complain.' Another dodge and an even harsher kick to the giant knee in front of her. 'She accepted me and what I do without so much a blink of her eye.'

Cosmos narrowed her dark blue eyes at the youma and decided that he was weak enough for her to finish him off. Without a single word spoken she summoned her scepter and a bright light washed over the ugly creature. And after the light died, nothing remained but Sailor Cosmos and a pile of dust.

'I guess I'll have to stop by the store and buy something so Mama doesn't freak out,' she thought as she let her scepter disappear. She spread her wings, preparing to fly off, when clapping reached her ears. And the clapping grew in volume.

She turned around and felt her eyes widen. Ordinary people were coming out of shops, from behind parked cars, and even getting up from the ground. They were smiling, laughing, clapping, and cheering. She just stared.

Suddenly, a young man, probably about her age, ran up to her, a pen and notepad in his hand.

"Cosmos-sama," he said with a slight blush but overly eager eyes. "May I speak with you for a second?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Oh…" he muttered sheepishly. "My name is Shiraseru Fumihiko. I'm a reporter for Tokyo Shimbun."

She gave a slight bow to the reporter, the article from the day before running through her head. "Did you write the article from yesterday?"

His blush got darker as he shook his head. "Iie, but it has raised some questions."

Fumihiko flinched as the silver-haired woman in front of him narrowed her cold eyes and seemed to look through to his soul. His palms started to sweat and he hoped his pen didn't slip through his fingers.

"You may ask your questions, Shiraseru-san. But please, make it quick. I have other places to be."

He nodded, amazed at how smooth her voice was. Smooth but lacking in any type of emotion; just like her eyes.

"Ano," he glanced at his notepad, scanning the questions he frantically wrote during her battle, trying to choose the best ones. "These youma…what are they after?" he blurted out.

"Me," she said bluntly.

"Nani?"

"Or my powers, more specifically. They don't really pose a threat," she continued. "They are drawn to my power. That is all."

"Where are the other senshi?"

She sighed and closed her eyes for a second before answering. "I released them from their duty," she said. "They had other goals in life. I didn't want them tied down to fighting youma for the rest of their lives."

Fumihiko jotted that down as he asked, "But you are tied down, are you not?"

She nodded her head once, her expression not changing. "Hai, if you want to call it that. But I call it destiny."

"Destiny?"

"I have been given these powers to protect humankind. It is something I have accepted."

"But aren't you lonely?" He looked into her eyes, hoping to find something there. "Years ago, when you were Sailor Moon, you fought with others, helping each other out and having friends to rely on. Don't you want that back?"

She closed her eyes again, sighing. "Back when I was Sailor Moon? How do you know-?"

He cut her off. "It isn't hard to figure out," he said with another blush. "Sailor Moon was always the strongest. And the hairstyle hasn't changed." He bit his lip, as if unsure if he should continue but another nod from Cosmos gave him courage. "But you have changed. You're stronger but a little colder."

'Or maybe a lot colder,' he added mentally.

"Wouldn't you rather have your friends by your side, though?" he continued out loud.

"Shiraseru-san, let me tell you what I had to learn," she said softly.

He readied his pen.

"It doesn't matter what you want as a person," she said, her eyes seeming to shimmer with some sort of emotion. "All that matters is what the ones closest to you want. Do you know what it's like to see your friends give up their dreams just to stay by your side? To see the light slowly fade from their eyes as their dream floats further and further away? To see their smiles on their faces but see sadness in their hearts? The pain I may feel now is nothing to the pain my heart felt at seeing that." Her voice cracked and Fumihiko felt a lump form in his throat at the sudden sadness creeping into her eyes and voice.

'So that's why she seems so cold,' he thought. 'She's hiding all that sadness.'

"That, Shiraseru-san, is why they are not here. That is why I let them go. They deserved to live their lives."

There was a moment of silence where Fumihiko just stared at her before he gave a quiet, "Arigato."

She gave a small nod. "I hope that is enough for the paper."

"It is," he said softly. "But I was thanking you for all that you do."

Surprise flew across her face before she could hide it. "Nani?"

"You have saved this city, no this world more times than anybody here can count." The reporter waved his hand at the people around him, who had grown silent as the interview started. "You have done so much for us. So, I think I speak for everyone when I say 'arigato'." He then bowed at the silver-haired woman before him. And the rest of the crowd quickly followed his example until everyone was bowed at the waist.

Cosmos gasped and looked around her and then back at the reporter before her. She then gave a full smile, an answering bow, and a laugh. And then she was gone, a few pure white feathers floating to the ground the only testament that she had been there.

Fumihiko smiled and looked back at his notepad. This article was going to be awesome!

* * *

Usagi sighed as she opened her front door. Her body ached. She had bandaged the scratch on her leg in the restroom of the grocery store so her mom wouldn't freak out and it was now completely covered by her jeans. And her alibi was in her hand. She had picked up a container of milk as well so her and Luna's story was a little more believable.

"I'm home!" she said, forcing her voice to sound lighter. It wasn't as hard as it usually was, though. What Shiraseru-san said really lightened her heart a little. She grinned as she slipped off her shoes. She had needed that.

"Usagi-chan!" Luna ran up to her as she was putting on her slippers.

"Hey, Luna!" She held out the grocery bag. "I got the milk! Now we can make pancakes!"

Luna grinned and quickly looked over her charge, searching for any injuries.

"A scratch on the leg, Luna," Usagi whispered as she passed the cat on her way to the kitchen. "Nothing too serious." She continued in a louder voice, "So, where's this visitor you called about?" She winked at Luna as she walked into the kitchen.

"Ano, Usagi-chan…" Luna started.

"Usaaaaaagi!"

The milk dropped to the floor as Usagi was suddenly engulfed in a hug, the breath leaving her in a whoosh and her eardrums ringing from the shrill sound of her name being yelled by the only person who could reach as high a pitch as her.

"M-m-minako?"

To be continued…

Please don't hit me for this cliffhanger. My beta said it would happen but maybe if I turn my puppy dog eyes at you it won't happen…

Maybe…

*flashes big watery blue eyes at readers* Don't hurt, Alcandre-chan! Please! I love all of you so much! Oh and while I'm at it…*eyes get even bigger* Review, please?


	5. Chapter 5

So, I'm not even gonna lie and say I wasn't inspired to write. I didn't write because I was caught up in a new video game…no joke. "Red Dead Redemption" has had me hooked for the past few weeks. Don't hate me. I finally got fed up with one part and turned away from my TV and back to my laptop. And then I watched some more Sailor Moon and read a little Kim Possible. Okay, a lot of KP. Starving Lunatic writes soooooo well and I can't seem to stop reading the "Walking the Line" series, no matter how many times I read it.

Thanks to all who reviewed! Y'all honestly make my day when I get those reviews. I don't think I would write so much if it wasn't for you guys! A bit of a warning though. This coming up week I'll be doing Vacation Bible School at my church and working a full time job as well. And then the next week I'm going on vacation to…wait for it…Universal Studios to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Woot! Who's excited? This chick! So, anyway, I won't be able to write for a while. But no worries…I'm already working on Chapter 6. So, I'll have at least some of it written.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon and any related characters. So, back off.

A big thanks to Laura! Duh! I couldn't get this done without her!

Now…on with the story!

* * *

"M-m-minako-chan?"

Arms tightened around Usagi's waist and a soft sniff was heard in the vicinity of Usagi's neck.

Usagi slowly wrapped her arms around the blonde attached to her. It felt good. Being held like this. And being held by a friend was even better.

"Oh, Usagi-chan, I've missed you!" Minako said into Usagi's neck. "I didn't realize how much until I heard your voice just now!"

A small smile flitted across Usagi's lips as she buried her face into Minako's neck. "I've missed you, too, Minako-chan."

They stayed that way for a while longer; Minako feeling better at seeing Usagi alive and well and Usagi just loving the feel of actual human contact and contact from one of her senshi at that.

"Now," Minako said softly as she pulled back. "Let me take a look at you."

That didn't take long.

"Usagi, your hair!"

Usagi winced at the shrillness of Minako's voice and looked down, sheepishly. "Yeah…"

"What happened?" Minako gently ran her fingers through one of Usagi's pigtails, in awe at how silky and shiny the silver strands were. "When…how…?"

Usagi shrugged. "I just woke up and it was like this." It was the truth. She didn't have to explain what she woke up from and who she had been before she woke up.

"But I thought that with Mamoru gone, Crystal Tokyo wouldn't happen," Minako muttered, still staring at her hair. "So, why would your body be getting ready for you to become Neo-Queen Serenity?"

Again, a shrug of slim shoulders. "Beats me."

Minako studied her hime and one of her best friends. Something was…off. But she couldn't put her finger on it. She gave a mental shrug. 'Oh, well. I'll figure it out later.'

And later, she still hadn't figured it out. Even after hours of catching up, of just sitting around and shooting the breeze, she still couldn't figure out why Usagi, her best friend, her surrogate sister, almost twin, seemed to be different.

But different in a subtle way. Her eyes didn't seem as alive as they used to. She didn't talk as much or as fast. Her smile didn't seem as wide. Something was wrong. But how in the world could Minako go about asking Usagi?

Minako was never one for subtle hints; anyone who knew the young woman knew that. But this was a delicate situation. One that needed to be handled with care.

Giving a soft sigh, Minako looked over at Usagi, who was watching the movie they had going very intently. She then looked over at Luna, who just happened to be looking at her.

A blonde eyebrow raised when the two made eye contact. And an unspoken question was asked. _What the hell is wrong with her?_

And Luna answered with an averted gaze. _Can't really say. Maybe later._

Minako gave a mental nod and turned back to the movie. Later, then. And she would get something out of the cat.

* * *

"Seriously, Usagi," Minako sighed. "I'll sleep on the couch."

Usagi rolled her eyes. "Minako-chan, just stop. You're the guest. And my mama always told me that the guest gets the best bed in the house."

Minako bit her lip and looked at Usagi's queen sized bed then back at the now silver-haired woman. "Look, why don't we both sleep in the bed. That way we can talk until we fall asleep. And we'll both be comfortable."

Dark blue eyes looked to the floor as Usagi contemplated this idea. Back in high school, such an arrangement wasn't unusual. But now…well, now things had changed. Usagi didn't sleep like the dead anymore. If she wasn't having nightmares she was up at weird times of the night, going after youma. What to do?

"I think it's a good idea, Usagi-chan," Luna piped up from the floor. "It'll save you from having to wash another set of sheets."

Usagi threw a quick, almost invisible glare over at the cat, not happy that the decision was just made for her. But, she shrugged and let it go. Hopefully, it would be a nightmare night and not a youma on a rampage night.

If only…

* * *

Minako woke to fervent whispers coming from the other side of the bed. She stayed still, keeping her breathing regular and deep but her hearing sharp.

"It's 2 a.m., Usagi! You can't leave Minako here!"

"She's a big girl, Luna. Besides, I'll be back in no time."

A soft sigh was heard. "Fine. Just…be careful."

"Aren't I always?"

The rustle of bedsheets came from Usagi as she slowly and stealthily exited the bed. "If she wakes up, tell her I'm not feeling well and went for a walk."

"A walk?" The voice moved around the room. "At 2 in the morning? Do you honestly think she'll buy that?"

"It's partially true, Luna. Besides, I did that plenty of times in high school. And she knows that."

The sound of the window opening made Minako's brows scrunch together. Where in the world was Usagi going?

"Where is it?"

"Where they almost always are…the park."

After about a minute of complete silence, Minako turned over and eyed the black cat that was sitting at the window, staring out.

"Where did she go, Luna?"

"The park," was all Luna said, not even looking at the woman.

"Why?" Minako sat up, running a hand through her hair.

Luna finally looked over her shoulder and closed her eyes. "I've promised not to tell you," she whispered. "But I never promised not to show you."

* * *

Minako's mouth was hanging open; something her fans wouldn't believe if they hadn't seen it for themselves.

"Luna…is that a youma?"

"Hai."

"And is that Usagi fighting the youma?"

"Techincally…hai."

"Technically?" Minako looked down at the cat hiding behind the bushes with her and then back up at her friend a few meters in front of them. "Sure, she's Sailor Moon-"

"Cosmos," Luna interrupted.

"Cosmos? Who?"

"Cosmos. She isn't Sailor Moon anymore. She has become an even more powerful being; Sailor Cosmos."

"Nani?" Minako looked back at Usagi, now Sailor Cosmos, as she dodged another blow from the youma she was fighting. And she could tell, even from the distance she was at, that her hime was tired. And blood was obviously running down her leg.

"She's hurt," Minako muttered. "I should help her."

"No," Luna said, her voice stopping Minako from standing up and marching her way over to the fight. "Don't."

"Why the hell not?" Minako hissed. "She needs help. It's obvious."

"I know she needs help!" Luna hissed back, her eyes swimming with tears. "But she won't accept it!"

"Well, she needs to get over this stupid pride of hers then!"

"It isn't pride, Minako!"

"Then what the hell is it?"

A scream interrupted their argument, making them look back at the fight. The youma had pinned Cosmos to the ground and had its sword like hand through the fighter's left shoulder, grinning manically at the screaming young lady.

"I've got you," the hiding duo heard it say.

Cosmos grunted in pain and narrowed her eyes at the creature. "Not for long," she said through gritted teeth. She raised her right hand, her scepter appearing out of nowhere.

As a bright light engulfed the youma, Luna turned back to Minako with a sad look in her eyes. "It's much more complicated than pride."

"Then what is it, Luna?" Minako asked, her eyes trained on Usagi, who was slowly sitting up, her hand to her bleeding shoulder.

"That's something Usagi will have to tell you. It isn't my place, even if I hadn't promised her I wouldn't tell."

"Then why did you call me and the others?"

Luna looked back at Usagi, who by now had de-transformed and was studying her shoulder. "To get you here." They both watched as Usagi pulled some gauze out of her subspace pocket and pressed it to her shoulder. "Now, let's get you back to the house before she starts back. You've seen it. Now you have to decide what to do with the information you have."

* * *

"You're leaving?" Usagi asked softly as she watched Minako pick up her bag and shoulder it.

"Hai," Minako said just as softly, not meeting her friend's eyes.

"Demo," Usagi started, her voice not getting any louder. "You just got here."

Minako walked toward the front door, her turned back not allowing her to see the broken hearted expression that crossed Usagi's face for a split second. "I've got an appointment in Germany in a couple days. Maybe I'll visit Ami-chan while I'm there."

"Again?" Usagi whispered, not knowing that Minako had heard the question.

Blue eyes closed at the pain she knew she was causing Usagi. But she had to speak with the others. They had to know what was going on.

"I'll be back soon, Usagi-chan!" Minako said with a forced smile as she turned back to her friend.

'That's what you said the last time I saw you,' Usagi thought. 'And that was over a year ago.'

But she quickly smiled so her sadness wouldn't show. "Hai, of course. Tell Ami I said hi, okay?"

Minako nodded and slipped on her shoes.

"You want a ride to the airport?" Usagi asked.

"Iie," the blonde said as she opened the door. "I've got a cab out front. Ja ne, Usagi!"

And she all but ran out the door, leaving Usagi by herself in the doorway, her arms aching for a hug and her heart breaking at how fast her friend left her…yet again.

"It's for the best," she muttered as she watched the cab drive off. "She's got an awesome career going on. She needs to be there. Not hanging out with me."

Usagi stood there for a while, not really looking at anything. It wasn't until Luna walked up behind her that she even thought about moving.

"Usagi-chan? Do shita no?"

"Nothing, Luna," she whispered, taking a deep breath. "Nothing at all." She turned around and walked back in the house, her eyes downcast. "I'm fine."

* * *

Minako sighed as she sat down at her gate, anxious to be on her plane and on her way to Germany. She had called Ami on the way to the airport and asked her to call Makoto and Rei. They all needed to meet up. Something needed to be done about Usagi. She was falling apart and they weren't there to help her.

And Minako knew she had hurt Usagi even more by leaving so abruptly. But Minako needed help in this matter. She couldn't do this by herself.

A newspaper stand across from her seat caught her eye. A copy of the Tokyo Shimbun was in plain view and the headline made Minako gasp.

**Sailor Cosmos Does it All for the Sake of her Friends**

She jumped up and sprinted over to the stand, digging some coins out of her purse as she ran. Grabbing the paper and paying for it without taking her eyes from the picture, she made her way back to her seat.

On the front page was Sailor Cosmos, in full color, something weird for the Thursday paper. The warrior was facing off with a youma, her gaze steely and resolved. And Minako cringed at something only a few people would notice. The sadness deep in Cosmos' eyes. It was plainly obvious.

"Flight 983 to Berlin is now boarding. All passengers in 1st Class seating please proceed to the boarding gate now."

Minako sighed and grabbed her carry-on and tucked the paper under her arm. She would read the article on the plane. The girls would need to know about this.

To be continued…

* * *

Translation:

Do shita no? – What's the matter?


	6. Chapter 6

I've been busy lately. And I'm sorry. In fact, I had this opened on my laptop this past month, so if I did get a chance I could write. However, whenever I got a chance, I was way too tired or out of it to make much sense. But here it is. Again, I'm sorry that it took so long, guys. I did make it a little longer to make up for it. The end it drawing near, I believe. Unless my muse starts making other ideas appear out of nowhere (like she did with another Kigo plot bunny! What the hell, muse? I gotta finish one thing first!).

As always, I don't own these wonderful people. Someone much richer and a tad more popular than me has those rights.

And again, thanks to Laura! You make me happy!

On with the story!

* * *

"_All that matters is what the ones closest to you want. Do you know what it's like to see your friends give up their dreams just to stay by your side? To see the light slowly fade from their eyes as their dream floats further and further away? To see their smiles on their faces but see sadness in their hearts? The pain I may feel now is nothing to the pain my heart felt at seeing that."_

_As the savior of the world said this, her eyes filled with tears. And with a slight bow, she left, the tears still in her eyes._

_No one really knows why heroes do what they do. No one really knows what motivates someone to put aside their own wants and needs to save total strangers. But Sailor Cosmos put it out there for the world. She saves this planet for her friends. And she does it by herself for her friends. If that isn't a true hero, what is?_

_Superman, move over. Batman, watch out. You can stay over in America. Japan has Sailor Cosmos. We're covered._

Ami slowly lowered the paper, her eyes swimming with unshed tears. "Minako-chan," she whispered, looking over at the blonde superstar.

Minako just bit her lip and nodded. "I know," she said.

Ami looked back down at the paper, her eyes studying the picture of her closest friend. "She looks so sad." A tear made its way out of her eye and landed with a plop on the paper, smearing a couple of the letters in another article. "She doesn't look like Usagi."

"That's because she's not," Minako answered as she looked down at her hands, which were clenched into fists and resting in her lap. "She's Sailor Cosmos."

"But not even that," Ami answered. "Her face," she trailed off and pointed to the picture. "That's not the Usagi I met six years ago. That is not the fun loving Odango Atama we all fell in love with."

Minako just sat in silence.

Ami slowly set the paper aside and took a deep breath. When Minako had called earlier insisting that the inner senshi get together, Ami had no idea what to expect. She just called Makoto and Rei and told them to get to Germany as soon as possible. They were supposed to be arriving at any moment.

But this…this was something that she wouldn't have guessed in three lifetimes.

"How was she when you were at the house?" Ami asked, breaking the silence.

Minako shook her head. "She seemed okay," she said. "But something was off. That…twinkle…"

"The one in her eye that makes you want to smile just by looking at her?"

"Hai!" Minako exclaimed, finally looking up. "_That_ twinkle isn't there anymore. Her eyes…they seem so…dead."

"It's because they are."

Minako stood up and started pacing. "Why would she do this? Why would she leave us so in the dark about how she's feeling?"

Ami sighed and grabbed the blonde's wrist, forcing her to sit on the sofa with her. "Do you remember right after Galaxia was defeated, Minako-chan? Do you remember that sleep-over we had at the jinja?

Minako's brows scrunched up for a second before a light entered her eyes. "Hai! The one where we discussed our dreams?"

Ami nodded. "We all had big dreams. But do you remember Usagi's?"

Minako slowly shook her head, her mind frantically trying to remember what the other blonde had said that night. "I don't think so."

"She said that she just wanted us all to be happy. She mentioned something about being a manga writer and being a huge success but she then said that she wanted all of us to do what we wanted. And then Rei said something about that being pretty unrealistic because we all had to stay together to protect her."

"Nani?" Minako whispered. "Why would she say that?"

Ami shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think she meant anything by it and you have to admit that we all pretty much thought that at the time. I know I didn't see myself ever leaving Tokyo. I wanted to be close to Usagi at all times for fear that something would happen to her."

Minako nodded in agreement. After Galaxia, they were all pretty anxious about leaving Usagi or even each other alone. But traumatic situations do that to anyone.

"But I know that as the months and then years went by I started to think that nothing would ever happen again. I started to remember my dreams and I wanted to leave. Not just Tokyo but Japan," Ami continued.

"And she let you go."

"Hai, with no hesitation. And I bet you money she was thinking about what Rei said that night. And she refused to be the thing that held any of us back."

Minako buried her face in her hands and let out a large sigh. "Oh, Ami-chan, how could we have let this happen? She's our hime. We were supposed to protect her! Not just from youma but from anything!"

Ami put her arm around Minako's shoulders. "We can't dwell on the past, Minako-chan. We need to fix this. And we need to fix this now."

* * *

Usagi stared at the TV with a blank look in her eyes. She wasn't really watching the show that was on. But neither was Luna. They were both just staring. Usagi was staring at nothing and Luna was staring at Usagi.

"Usagi-chan?" Luna whispered, placing a paw on her hime's arm. "Are you okay?"

Usagi blinked and slowly looked over at the cat. "I'm fine, Luna. Just not really interested in watching TV at the moment." She stood up and headed out of the room. "I think I'm gonna lay down."

Luna watched with worried eyes as the silver-haired woman left the room. The cat hated the fact that Minako left so suddenly. She knew that the Senshi of Love was going to talk to the other inner senshi but the sudden departure really tore Usagi up. It seemed like the slight healing Minako's presence did to Usagi's heart was ruined as the cab left with the blonde in it.

"Oh, Selene," Luna whispered with her head bowed. "My princess is fading. What do I do now?"

* * *

Ikuko sat at her kitchen table with the paper in one hand and her coffee in the other. Kenji was at work and Shingo was at school. And with Usagi living by herself across town with Luna now, Ikuko had the house to herself. She could finally read the paper in peace.

And then the front page caught her eye.

The only sound heard in the house was the ticking of the clock. Then, a chair scraped across the kitchen floor, keys were grabbed from the counter and the front door was opened then slammed shut. And the roar of the engine of the family van was the last thing the Tsukino house heard for the day.

* * *

"Usagi?"

Dark blue eyes opened and focused on Luna, who was standing on her chest. "Luna?" Usagi blinked and shook her head. "Nani?"

"Someone's at the door."

"Who is it?" Usagi asked, not moving. She really didn't feel like dealing with anyone. Why couldn't the world just let her rest in the arms of oblivion today?

"I think it's your mom."

That got Usagi up. "Mama?" Ikuko rarely came over. Usagi and Luna usually visited the family at their house. What was her mother doing across town?

She moved into the den, her eyes on the door. And then someone knocked.

"Usagi?"

"Mama?" Usagi muttered as she unlocked and opened the door.

Her mother stood there, the newspaper under her arm and her car keys in her hand.

"Usagi," Ikuko said as she walked past her daughter and started taking off her shoes. "How are you?"

"Um," Usagi watched her mom slip on the slippers and make her way to the den. She followed after her, still trying to wrap her exhausted and depressed mind over the fact that her mother came to visit her out of the blue.

Ikuko sat on the sofa and patted the space beside her, signaling her daughter to sit. Which she did.

Ikuko looked over her daughter. The first thing she noticed was the tired, defeated look in the dark blue eyes. Wait…dark blue?

And since when did Usagi have silver hair?

And why was there a bandage wrapped around her leg?

"Usagi, you're hurt!" Ikuko exclaimed, moving her daughter's sleep shorts up a little to fully examine the bandage. A small stain of blood marred the white surface.

Usagi looked down at her leg and quickly covered the bandage again. "It's nothing, Mama. Don't worry about it."

Ikuko looked up into Usagi's eyes and felt her heart break. She could tell that Usagi needed to talk about something but was holding back. And it was her fault.

"Oh, Usagi, I'm so sorry," Ikuko muttered.

Usagi blinked. "Nani? Why?"

"I haven't been very supportive, have I?"

The silver head shook. "You're great, Mama. You've always supported me!"

"Not about you being Sailor Moon," Ikuko said softly as she brushed silver bangs out of her daughter's eyes.

Usagi's mouth dropped open. Her mother never mentioned Sailor Moon. It was something that wasn't discussed. Ikuko told Usagi when she first found out about it right after high school that she didn't want to think about her only daughter fighting hideous monsters. So, it was never mentioned again. Ikuko knew what Usagi did and knew she had little to no choice about it, but that didn't mean that Ikuko had to talk about it or even think about it.

"Your expression right there shows me that I'm right," Ikuko said with a frown. "And I hate that. I'm so sorry, Usagi. Please forgive me."

Usagi grabbed her mother's hand and gave a small smile. "There's nothing to forgive, Mama. I understand. You were protecting yourself."

"And that's the problem! I should have been protecting you!"

Usagi sighed and looked into her mother's eyes, making Ikuko start at the look of maturity and wisdom in her daughter's gaze. But behind that was a deep sadness that made the older woman's heart break.

"Mama, there was nothing you could have done to protect me. This is a cross I have to bear and there is no way out of it. Believe me, I've tried. So, please, don't beat yourself up over something you can't change."

"But, sweetheart," Ikuko began. "You're hurting."

"My leg is fine," Usagi stated, patting the bandage wrapped around her leg. "I heal pretty fast."

The blue head shook. "No, Usagi. You're hurting on the inside." She held up the paper, presenting Usagi with a clear view of the front page.

The younger woman sucked in a breath at the picture that greeted her. "Oh, God," she muttered. "He wrote it."

"So what it says is true?" Ikuko asked, watching her daughter's face. "You're doing this all by yourself so that your friends can fulfill their dreams?"

Usagi was silent, just staring at the newspaper; not reading the article, just staring.

"Usagi?"

"Hai."

"Is it-"

"Hai, it's true." Usagi tore her gaze away from the paper and looked back at her mother. "It's true," she repeated.

"Oh, Usagi," Ikuko said, lowering the paper and pulling her daughter into her arms. "Why didn't you talk to me?"

"I didn't want to bring it up. Like I said-"

"It's your cross to bear," Ikuko finished for her. "But I'm willing to help with the load, baby." Usagi laid her head on her mother's shoulder. "I may not be able to do much but I can lend an ear when you need one and a shoulder to cry on."

And Usagi used that moment to use that shoulder. The dam burst. Everything that Usagi had been holding back for so long came out. Followed closely by relief that her mother was really accepting her and willing to support her.

After the tears stopped, Ikuko kissed her daughter's forehead and gave a smile. "Now, tell me about your sudden change in hair color…"

A genuine laugh escaped Usagi's mouth; something the cat in the other room hadn't heard in what seemed like forever.

* * *

Silence engulfed the small apartment in Germany.

"Will it work? Or is it too late?"

A sigh escaped the blonde. "It has to. The Usagi we love is still there, just buried deep. We're going to work on bringing her back."

"Then it's settled," the genius said. "Let's get started."

* * *

"Where are Dad and Shingo?"

Ikuko looked over at her daughter, her hands still working on cooking the bacon in front of her. "Your father is at work and Shingo at school. Your brother is going on an overnight field trip today."

"So, you and Dad have the house to yourselves, huh?" Usagi asked with a grin, her chin in her hands as she sat at the small kitchen table.

"Hai," Ikuko said. "We're going on a date tonight."

A sudden flash of longing and depression hit Usagi but she swallowed it down and kept the smile on her face. "Sounds fun! Live it up tonight!"

Ikuko smiled and turned back to the bacon. She had seen the quick droop in Usagi's shoulders and the flash of sadness enter her daughter's eyes. She knew the young woman was lonely. It was very obvious. A talking cat can only provide so much company, even if the cat was as close to a sister as Usagi would ever get. But Luna was like an older sister, Ikuko could see that.

"Have you talked to the girls lately?" Ikuko asked, turning back to look at her daughter.

And another emotion went through Usagi's dark blue eyes; hurt.

"Usagi?" Ikuko started to get angry. Her daughter had been hurt. She could tell.

"Um," Usagi swallowed the lump forming in her throat and gave a watery smile. "Minako just came for a visit, actually."

"Oh? For how long?"

"She-she had to leave this morning."

"When did she get here?"

"Yesterday afternoon."

Ikuko saw red. "What about the others? When did you last see them?" Her voice was tight.

"Uh," Usagi was studying the tabletop rather intently. "About a year ago."

"Nani?" Ikuko yelled, making Luna jump awake from her nap in Usagi's room.

Usagi wouldn't look up.

"You mean to tell me that your closest friends, the ones who you have saved from death multiple times, don't visit you regularly?"

"They have lives, Mama," Usagi whispered, trying to keep the tears back. "I can't expect them to put everything on hold to come and visit a friend from high school."

"A friend from high school?" Ikuko abruptly turned off the stove and moved the pan to a cool burner. "That is not all you are to them! At least, it shouldn't be!" She stomped over to her daughter and knelt down in front of her. "You are their princess, right?"

An almost invisible nod came from Usagi.

"And you are their future queen, right?"

"Well-"

"Iie. Am I right?"

"I guess."

"And you are the girl who saved their lives, not just physically but emotionally as well. Right?"

"Emotionally?"

"You gave yourself to those friendships. You pulled each and every one of them into your heart and let them take residence there. They would have remained outcast if it wasn't for you."

"How do you-"

"I'm your mother, Usagi. Do you actually think I would have let my daughter hang out with girls I knew nothing about? I did my research."

Usagi just blinked. A tear slowly fell down her face.

Ikuko reached up and gently wiped the tear off the younger woman's face. "If I could, sweetheart, I would gather those girls up and give them a very stern talking to. After they each received a swift kick in the pants."

"But-but I told them they could leave, Mama. I let them go."

"Even though they had permission, Usagi, it doesn't mean they should have taken it."

* * *

The nightmare woke her up right before the nagging feeling hit her. She sighed and glanced at the clock. 2 a.m. Right on time.

Usagi got out of bed, pat Luna on the head, who in turn just blinked up at her, and left the house, following her gut to where the youma was this time.

As she neared the destination, she took a deep breath. Her mom had really helped her earlier. Having someone to talk to that wasn't close to the situation really helped. And knowing that her mom had her back was a big relief. But that didn't change anything. The girls were still gone and Usagi was left alone. That was just the way it was.

A roar interrupted Usagi's musings and reminded her of what she was there to do. She quickly transformed and jumped at the youma, not bothering with words yet again.

She was unaware, however, of the eyes watching her from behind a tree.

To be continued…

p.s. I'm about sick and tired of my line breaks disappearing when I upload this onto . Anybody have any suggestions on what I can use in Word that will not disappear on ?


	7. Chapter 7

So, I think I shouldn't let myself buy any more video games until I finish this story. I bought Final Fantasy XIII and have been loving it! I finally made myself stop because I was getting waaaaaay too into it and a little too frustrated at the one boss I couldn't seem to beat. Now, I can write. However, I have fallen in love with the Fang/Vanille element. Even though Vanille's English voice irritates me. You can so see the love between those two! If any of y'all know any great fanfiction about them let me know, please!

I also got a new laptop! Hurray for MacBook Pros! I love this thing! But I'm still getting used to it and the keyboard. Typing is giving me a little trouble. Oh well, I'm getting better.

Also, I'm starting grad school in a week so I'm not sure how much time I'll have to write. I hope I have plenty of time but I wanted to warn you guys just in case.

As always, thanks to Laura! You rock big time!

And I don't own Sailor Moon or any related characters.

* * *

The youma lately seemed to be getting bigger and bigger. But Sailor Cosmos' expression never changed as she dodged claws, teeth, and magical beams that came with the magical monsters. This particular youma, however, was insistent. No matter what the silver-haired fighter threw at it, it continued fighting. And as Sailor Cosmos dodged and threw her own magical beams, her mind wandered.

_They keep coming, _she thought. _No matter how many I kill, ten more show up. Every night, it's the same thing. I don't know how much of this I can take._

A jump over a swipe of a claw.

_I'm so tired. _

A duck.

_Maybe I should give up._

A pure white beam meeting an evil red beam in a flash of light.

_And let Tokyo fend for itself?_

Hitting a tree after being thrown back by the light.

_That seems pretty selfish. Besides, the youma are attracted to the Crystal. They'd just come and find me._

Jumping up and running full force back into the battle.

_Then, destroy the Crystal._

That thought and that thought alone made Sailor Cosmos do something she hadn't done since she was 14 and Sailor Moon. She stopped in her tracks and completely zoned out.

_But that would kill me._

And as a massive hand with massive claws swiped across the front of her body and caused her to fly back yet again, another thought filled her head.

_And how would that be a bad thing? _

A roar of triumph was heard along with earth shaking steps as the youma advanced.

_The youma would stop coming. Destroy the Crystal. Save Tokyo. And finally get the rest you deserve. It doesn't seem like such a bad deal. _

Another swipe from the claws threw her up in the air.

_Who would really miss me? My parents? Luna? That's it._

The air rushed by her as she fell back to the ground, blood rushing out of the gashes all over her body.

_The people of Japan will forget about me in time. No youma means no need for Sailor Cosmos. _

She hit the ground with a sickening thud.

_In fact, I should just give up now. Just let it happen._

The last thing she saw before everything went black was the youma screaming in pain as it was encased in a huge block of ice.

….

The pain is what woke her. Her whole body hurt. And it wasn't the kind of hurt she had grown used to over the past few years. It wasn't the small constant pain from a sprained ankle or a scratched leg. It was the kind of pain that pushed its way to the front of everything and forced itself on you.

She slowly opened her eyes, the beige ceiling of her den coming into focus. That confused her. Didn't she pass out in the park, fighting the youma? How, in the name of the moon, had she gotten back to her house?

A sharp wave of pain washed over her again, making her look down at her stomach. She was shirtless, the only thing covering her upper body being a multitude of bandages wrapped around her chest and torso. Blood seeped through the white bandages, showing her four large gashes going across her body.

Dark blue eyes blinked as she took stock of her wounds. Bruises littered her arms. Her legs, covered by a small blanket, were also covered with the purple blotches. One hand was wrapped in a bandage and her face felt swollen.

"Good, God," she muttered. "How am I still alive?"

"Good question," Luna said from the floor beside the sofa.

Usagi looked down at the cat with raised eyebrows. "Luna," she whispered, her throat sore for some reason or another. She didn't spend too much thought on that though; there were more pressing matters. "What happened?"

Luna jumped and softly landed on the sofa beside her charge. "What is the last thing you remember, Usa?"

"Um," Usagi closed her eyes and thought back. "A youma fight. The thing was huge, more so than usual it seemed." Her eyes opened. "But that's it."

Luna sighed and sat down, her red eyes searching Usagi's dark blue ones. "When I woke up early this morning, you were here, Usagi. On the sofa, wrapped in bandages, and sleeping like a baby."

"But how…?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," the cat said softly. She let her eyes wonder over the young woman. "Usagi…what happened during the fight? I haven't seen you this beat up in ages."

Usagi couldn't look the cat in the eyes. She glanced back down at the bandages covering her body and let her good hand play with a loose thread on the blanket over her legs.

After a few seconds of silence, Luna spoke up again. "Usagi, what happened? What's wrong?"

"I got distracted," the silver-haired woman muttered.

"Distracted?" Luna asked with wide eyes. "By what?"

"I was just thinking as I fought and a stray thought distracted me for a second. That gave the youma the chance it needed to kick my butt."

"And kick it, it did." Luna said blandly. "Now what stray thought distracted you?"

Again, Usagi couldn't meet the red eyes searching her own.

"Usagi?"

Silence.

"Usagi, answer me. Please." Luna was getting worried. The shamed look in those dark blue eyes made her nervous.

"I-I was just wondering if…" Usagi trailed off.

"If…?" Luna said when Usagi didn't finish.

"If I was really necessary."

Luna felt her breath hitch in her throat. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well," Usagi slowly sat up, wanting more than anything to have the energy to get off the sofa and run away. "I just thought that maybe I could…just stop."

Luna gave a soft gasp and her brows furrowed together. "What? You mean stop fighting the youma?"

"Um," Usagi started, cursing herself for even beginning this. Why couldn't she have just lied?

"You know you can't stop fighting the youma, Usagi!" Luna said, her voice slightly louder than normal. "They would destroy Tokyo in their search for you! They want the Crystal! Why would you even think that! Your destiny is to protect the world from these youma that want the Crystal!

"Exactly!" Usagi yelled. "So, why not just destroy the Crystal? That would solve all our problems wouldn't it?"

Another louder gasp left Luna's throat. "Nani?" she whispered.

"The youma would leave Tokyo alone, the senshi would be able to keep living their lives, you would be able to go back to Artemis, and I would have my rest."

"But you would be-"

"Dead? Yeah, that's the best part of it." Usagi made herself stand up, letting the blanket fall to the floor. "I wouldn't have to be fighting youma all the time, I wouldn't have nightmares every night, and I wouldn't be so horribly lonely. Sounds like paradise to me." Usagi clenched her jaw to keep from crying out at the sharp pain assaulting her body. "And I wouldn't hurt so much all the time, damn it! I would finally have my rest!"

Tears gathered in dark blue eyes and slowly rolled down her cheeks. Luna watched this with sad, concerned eyes and wished for the millionth time to be human again. Usagi needed a hug, contact from another human. She needed something more than Luna could give, something that only five other people on the Earth could give her; welcoming arms and understanding.

"I'm so tired, Luna," Usagi muttered. "I'm so tired of everything. I don't know how I got back home last night and I don't know who bandaged me up. But you know what? At this point, I almost wish that whoever saved me…hadn't." She turned around and slowly made her way to her bedroom. "I'm going to lay down." As she reached her doorway she stopped and let her chin fall to her chest. "Gomen nasai, Luna." She said softly. "I shouldn't have gone off on you like that." She stood there for a few seconds and then shuffled the rest of the way to her bed, gently falling into it and slipping into a restless sleep.

...

"Did she see you?"

"Iie."

"You didn't show yourself?"

"She was in trouble at the time. I didn't want to be like him and throw a stupid rose into the fight and expect her to do the rest."

A giggle followed that answer.

"So, you finished the fight and she still didn't see you?"

"She was unconscious."

"Nani? You waited that long to jump in?"

"It happened so fast. I honestly didn't see it coming until she was flying up in the air for a second time. These youma are huge and faster than you would expect."

"Hai, I know."

A pause.

"Look, we'll keep going, as planned. Just call when you think it's time."

"Hai, Commander."

Another giggle. "Oh, shut up!"

...

The feeling woke her up, just like it always did. But this time, she opened her eyes and just lay there. What would happen if she didn't answer the call? Would the youma come to her? Or would it destroy whatever it was destroying until she came? Could she do that to the people that lived around the area? Could she let them suffer?

She sighed. "Iie," she whispered, sitting up and taking stock of her injuries. Her accelerated healing had kicked in yet again and her wounds were much better than they had been that morning. Of course, sleeping all day probably helped that along as well. The slashes had become bad scratches and the bruises had slowly faded to the ugly yellow most bruises become when close to fading away.

"Wonderful," she muttered. "Now I can fight to the best of my ability. Hurray!" The sarcasm dripping from her whispered words would have shocked anyone that knew her. This was not the Usagi from high school. This was not Sailor Moon. This was a Usagi aware of the hardships of life. This was the Usagi who had become Sailor Cosmos.

Patting Luna on the top of her head, Usagi slipped out of the house and made her way into the heart of Tokyo. The way her gut was leading her, it seemed like the youma decided to make its appearance in somewhere out of the ordinary, the middle of downtown Tokyo.

"Knowing my luck," Usagi muttered as she jumped from rooftop to rooftop. "This youma is actually going to resemble Godzilla."

When she finally arrived in front of the youma, she cracked a grin. It didn't resemble Godzilla but seemed to be more of a Mothra type of youma. The only difference being that this 'Mothra' seemed hell-bent on destroying Tokyo, not protecting it from Godzilla.

"Great," Usagi muttered as she jumped on the giant youma's back. "Not once could I just luck out and get a youma that wants to help me?"

...

The same pair of eyes from the night before watched from the ground. The giant youma's wings kept it suspended in the air and Sailor Cosmos was doing her damndest at bringing the youma down. But her injuries were preventing her from doing that. And because of her injuries, she was a tad bit slower than usual. And the youma was getting more hits in than it should.

The watching figure quickly brought a communication device up to their mouth. "I'm going to reveal myself now."

"Go ahead," the voice on the other end of the device said.

The figure nodded and jumped into the fight. Leaping high in the air, she brought her hands to her chest and screamed out, "Mercury Aqua Mirage!"

To be continued…


	8. Chapter 8

Well, to start off, I would like to apologize. I did warn y'all at the beginning of the last chapter that it might be a while. And it was. I just didn't expect it to be this long. And I'm sorry. Grad school is definitely kicking my ass (as a friend of mine so delicately put it) and I haven't had much inspiration to write. I also got on a huge Harry Potter kick and have been reading, watching, and devouring anything that has to do with Harry Potter. I've even started a new one-shot in the HP universe and I'm thinking of a Sailor Moon/HP crossover. But let's see. I want to finish this one first.

Thanks for sticking with this! I love you guys and treasure each and every review I receive. You don't know how happy I get when I see that email in my inbox telling me that I have a review! Y'all rock so much! And for the ones that have kept on me, asking when I was going to update, thank you even more! Seeing that there are still people out there wanting to see where this is going is real uplifting!

I don't own Sailor Moon or any of the characters. Just this storyline…for what good it does me.

And as always….Thanks, Laura!

….

Cosmos didn't let herself think as she continued the fight. If she had, the small part of her that was still the Usagi of high school would have broken through and thrown her arms around Mercury and then the "Mothra" wannabe would have beaten them to the ground. So, she blocked all thoughts from her mind except the ones pertaining to beating the youma intent on killing her.

But, after the pure white light from her staff surrounded the youma and killed it, she slowly lowered herself to the ground and willed her large angel-like wings away.

Her whole body hurt. She was in extreme pain. And the pain wasn't just physical.

And the source of part of that pain was walking towards her.

"Usagi!"

Cosmos looked over at the Senshi of Mercury, her dark blue eyes cold and distant. "Mercury." She gave a small nod to the other woman. "It's nice to see you."

Mercury stopped just short of hugging the stoic woman. Her friend's voice was so cold and unfeeling. It shocked her. Hearing Minako talk about Cosmos was one thing but seeing and hearing her in person was completely different.

"Thank you for your help," Cosmos continued. "Not just for tonight but for last night as well." She gave a deeper bow, her face only slightly giving away a hint of a grimace due to the pain.

"Usagi-"

"Cosmos." Was the short reply.

"Nani?"

"My name is Sailor Cosmos."

Mercury just stared at the silver-haired fighter. There wasn't anything about this woman that resembled Tsukino Usagi.

"Again," Cosmos said. "Arigatou."

Mercury muttered a soft "You're welcome," and then watched as the angel wings appeared once again.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Cosmos said with a flap of the wings. "I've got to get going." She looked to the night sky and then back at the blue-haired young woman in front of her. "If you are in town for a few days, we should do lunch. And tell the others I said 'hello'." She lifted off the ground and as she flew away, Mercury could have sworn she heard her say "Not that they would care or anything."

"Oh, God," Mercury muttered, tears slowly gathering in her eyes. "What have we done?"

…

Her mind wandered as she flew through the air. Flying wasn't something she usually did. She preferred jumping but with her injuries and the way her mind wasn't really focused, she figured flying was a little safer than jumping from roof to roof tonight.

But where could she go? She didn't want to go home. Luna was there. She would have to talk to her. She wasn't ready for that.

She gently landed near the top of Tokyo Tower. As her wings folded behind her she looked over Tokyo, her eyes taking in the city she had protected for six years. And her mind went back to after the fight.

A small part of her, the part that was still the 14-year-old Usagi, had wanted to run over to Ami and throw her arms around her, sobbing uncontrollably. Another part, the slightly larger part that was the 20-year-old Usagi, was leery of Ami but still wanted to hug her and catch up with one of her best friends. However, a large part, the part that dominated her mind, was Sailor Cosmos. And Cosmos was not happy with Mercury, or any of the senshi. They had hurt her, whether they meant to or not. And Cosmos refused to open herself up to that hurt again.

_If I don't get close to them, they can't hurt me. _

"But they're my friends," she whispered into the night sky, her dark blue eyes unblinking as the lights of Tokyo Tower cast a soft glow over the area.

_Who left you._

"I told them they could. In fact, I told them that they _should_ leave."

_And they did, didn't they? They left here so fast; I'm surprised you didn't choke on their dust._

She closed her eyes and sat down, her booted legs hanging off the tower.

_But they're your friends._

This was a new voice. Or one she hadn't heard as her thoughts in years. It was a younger Usagi. One without judgments or anger.

_They were with you all those years. They helped you. They loved you. They still love you._

"How do I know that?" she whispered. "How do I know I won't be hurt again?"

_You don't. But that's a risk I'm willing to take._

"But everything has changed. I've changed…drastically."

_I'm sure they have, too. _

"I don't know if I can take the loneliness again. If I let them back into my life, what if they leave? I'll be alone yet again. And I'm not strong enough to handle that a second time."

_If that does happen, and I don't think it will, you can handle it. You're Sailor Cosmos, the most powerful being on the planet. There isn't much you can't handle._

She was quiet for a few seconds.

_Let them back in, Usagi. Stop letting Cosmos take over your heart. That isn't you. That isn't what Queen Serenity would want. And that isn't what you want._

"Letting Cosmos take over-? What does that mean?"

_You know what that means. You've allowed Cosmos to build a wall around you heart. No one is able to get past that, not Luna, not your mom, not even the senshi. And they are your best friends!_

Her eyes widened. That explained a lot; her hair, her eyes, and the cold, distant feeling she felt during battles. And that cold, distant feeling was slowly creeping its way into her every day life.

_Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You need your senshi. You need your friends. Let them back in._

She took a deep breath and slowly nodded. "It'll be hard."

_Anything worth doing is always hard to do. You're strong, Usagi. And that's without being Sailor Cosmos. You can handle it._

"Can I?" she asked out loud before she opened her wings and jumped off the tower, letting the wind lift her back into the sky.

…..

"We've really messed up, minna."

Silence was all she heard for a second until Minako cleared her throat. "Hai, we did. But now we can make it better."

"How?" Ami heard Rei ask. They were all connected with new communicators Ami constructed out of Mercurian technology. Each young woman was at their home in separate countries but could talk to each other as if on the phone; just with a cheaper bill.

"We move the timeline up a bit," was the Senshi of Venus' answer.

"So, we all-" Makoto started.

"Hai," Minako said. "We'll meet at the Crown in two days. Ami-chan, try to keep an eye on her. She's injured, not just physically but emotionally as well."

"Hai."

…..

Usagi entered her house with a sigh, her body aching, not just from her injuries but from all the flying she had done, something she wasn't used to.

"Usagi?" Luna said as she came out of the young woman's room.

"Luna," Usagi muttered, shuffling into the den and falling onto the sofa.

The black cat jumped up on the sofa beside her and looked over her charge. "Are you okay? You were gone for over 3 hours."

"Mercury showed up," was all Usagi said.

Luna's red eyes widened and she climbed onto Usagi's lap, looking up into dark blue eyes with concern. "And? How do you feel?" She didn't bother to ask if Usagi stayed and talked to the blue-haired genius. She knew better. This Usagi, who became Cosmos more and more everyday wouldn't hang around someone who had hurt her for too long.

Usagi bit her lip and felt tears she didn't think she had start to gather in her eyes. "I'm scared."

Luna desperately wished at that moment that she could become human. She wanted arms to put around Usagi, she wanted hands to softly stroke the younger woman's hair, and she wanted fingers to gently wipe away the tears that were falling down pale cheeks. Usagi wasn't the ditzy 14 year old Luna met 6 years ago. This was a young woman Luna had grown to love like a younger sister. And Luna wanted so much to comfort the hurt woman.

"Oh, Usagi," the cat said softly. "What, in Selene's name, are you afraid of?"

"Of being hurt again." Tears continued to fall down Usagi's face. And she didn't bother to wipe them off. She just sat there, her hands lying limply beside her and her eyes staring at her lap. "I keep telling myself to get over it and talk to Mercury but I don't know if I can stand being hurt again. I don't think my heart can take it."

Luna rubbed her head on Usagi's stomach, offering comfort the best way she could. "You could take it, Usagi. You're strong enough. But how do you know that will happen? It could turn out just fine."

"But what if-?"

Luna cut her off. "It's a risk you need to take," she said, unconsciously echoing the words from Usagi's mind just hours before. "You need her friendship. You need all of the senshi, Usagi. Your light is slowly waning. Can't you see that?"

Usagi just furrowed her brows together and stared at Luna.

"You are a loving person, Usagi-chan. You can't live without love surrounding you. Without it you are slowly dying. Not physically dying but emotionally. You are becoming the Cosmos of the future faster than I would have ever imagined."

"Nani?" Usagi asked softly.

"You've shut off your emotions, Usagi-chan. You have allowed yourself to become cold and distant, something Cosmos came back to warn you about."

Comprehension started to dawn in Usagi's eyes.

"You are becoming what you fear would happen. By pushing your senshi away and allowing them the freedom to live their lives, you have been killing the very light that makes you…you."

"But I had to let them-"

"I know, Usagi. You let them go because that is how you are. You are the type of person that would want them to do what they want to do. But you continued to shut them out. Calling each other is a two way street, you know."

Usagi closed her eyes and sighed. "I know. And I've told myself this so many times. But I think it's starting to sink in."

"Why now?" Luna asked.

Usagi's eyes opened and she gave a ghost of a smile. "Because it's coming from someone I trust and love. Why shouldn't it?"

Luna felt tears gather in her eyes and she gave a small smile. She curled up in Usagi's lap and sighed. "So what are you gonna do, Usagi-chan?"

"Call Ami tomorrow. We need to talk."

…..

"We need to talk."

"Well, that's why we're meeting at the Crown."

"I know." Ami sighed and her tense voice was very obvious to the person on the other end of the communicator.

"Ami-chan-"

"I'm scared, Rei," Ami interrupted.

"Scared?" Ami could picture Rei's dark eyebrows rising at the question. "Of what?"

Ami took a deep breath. "Usagi."

A bark of laughter came through loud and clear. "You're scared of Usagi? What the hell?"

Ami shook her head at Rei's question and waited for the laughter to die down before she answered. "You didn't see her, Rei. Minako's right. This isn't the Usagi we know. She's changed drastically. Facing her tonight was like facing a stranger. A stranger that wanted to hurt me."

"Hurt you? You were scared that she was going to hurt you?"

"Not physically. Never physically." Ami closed her eyes and pictured Cosmos' cold blue eyes glaring at her. "She's been hurt and her natural defense mechanism is to hurt what hurt her. She was so cold toward me. Like she couldn't stand to be around me."

Silence was the only thing that came from Rei's end.

"I'm ashamed," Ami whispered.

"We all are," Rei said just as quietly. "And we're gonna try to make it up to her."

"But will she listen?"

"We can only hope."

…..

Two days passed before the black cat brought up Ami again to Usagi. She studied the young woman sitting at the table. Usagi was slowly eating her cereal, methodically bringing the spoon to her mouth and back to the bowl, her face unchanging.

"Usagi?" Luna asked, jumping into the chair beside the young woman. "Have you talked to Ami-chan?"

Usagi blinked and shook her head. "Iie," she muttered before putting another spoonful of cereal in her mouth.

"Have you tried?"

Usagi nodded, not getting angry at the question. "I called her cell phone, her apartment in Germany, and even the old communicator. No answer at either of the places. I even called her mom. She didn't even know Ami was in town."

Luna shook her head, her mind racing over the possibilities of where Ami could be and how Usagi could get a hold of her. The look in her charge's eyes was enough to break Luna's heart a million times over. She had tried and nothing had come of it. Usagi was going to start trying pretty soon.

"Look, Usagi. Let's not think about that anymore. Come on," she said as she jumped off the chair. "Let's go to the Crown and talk to Motoki. I think a chocolate milkshake may help you." She gave a smile which Usagi returned.

"Okay, Luna." Usagi stood up and took her bowl to the sink. "It'll be nice to get out of the house without having to fight a youma."

…..

They had been there for an hour already, discussing Usagi and how to approach her. It wasn't going well. They were frustrated, angry at themselves, and feeling horribly guilty. So tempers were high. And Motoki appearing at their table didn't help matters.

"So, you four finally decide to come back to Tokyo," he said, standing at the end of their table with his arms crossed.

"Motoki!" Minako said with a grin. The grin fell off her face very quickly when the blonde man didn't return it.

"What made you come back?" He asked with a sneer. "Loneliness? Boredom? Or finally seeing that she was fighting without you?"

They all just stared at him with wide eyes.

"Fighting-?" Makoto asked softly.

Motoki just looked at them. "I don't even know what to say to you. If you had been sitting here over a year ago, I would have been overjoyed to see you." His hard eyes landed on all of them, one at a time. "But now," he shook his head. "I've seen her in here so many times, looking so depressed, tired, and nowhere near the person I knew six years ago. How could you?"

He didn't need to elaborate. They knew. They knew what he was asking. And they all looked down at the tabletop, not able to meet his eyes.

The bell over the door gave a little jingle but none of the young women at the table looked up. It wasn't until they heard Motoki speak that their heads jerked up.

"Konnichiwa, Usagi."

Dark blue eyes landed on four shocked faces. They all watched as joy, confusion, anger, and finally a sorrow so deep it seemed to reach down in their souls flew across Usagi's face.

"Oh, gods," Rei muttered. "Usagi," she started.

The silver-haired woman just shook her head. Seeing all of her friends here in Tokyo at the Crown was surprising. But what really surprised and hurt her was that they hadn't even bothered to tell her they were all in town. How long had they been here? And had they been planning to leave without seeing her?

Usagi slowly took Luna off her shoulder and set her on the floor. "Luna, do you mind if I leave you here for a few minutes? I need to go do something," she whispered, not seeing the look of anguish covering her senshi's faces.

"Usagi-chan," Luna said with concern. "Don't do anything-"

"Dangerous," Usagi finished for her with a smile. "I know, Luna. Thanks for caring."

And with that, she turned on her heel and left, not even hearing the desperate whisper of her name from Minako.

_To be continued…_

_Please Review, guys! I live on reviews! Especially when my schoolwork gets slightly overwhelming!_


	9. Chapter 9

Yes, this is a chapter. So, don't freak out…too much. I apologize so very much for it coming so late. I did warn y'all but I know it's been four months. Grad school started hitting hard and then I moved over the Christmas break. I've finally gotten the time and energy to sit down and write the rest of this chapter. And I'm proud of it. I like how it turned out. You may not think the same but don't kill me for it. At least make it a painless death.

You guys rock. No joke about it. And I hate that this took so long for me to update. I hate disappointing you guys. My faithful readers keep me going. And I made a promise to a reader that I would not let this story fade away. And it isn't. It is almost finished. So, read on and enjoy. And please give me your feedback. I live off that. My professors don't give much feedback and my boss really doesn't like to give feedback. I need something to look forward to.

As always…a bug huge ginormous thank you to Laura! You are the bestest best beta ever! You know I love you. In fact, I'm already thinking about your birthday present. Hehe…I have some awesome ideas…

…..

She didn't transform. She knew Luna expected her to. That's usually what she did when she wanted to be somewhere quickly. But she didn't this time. She just calmly walked out of The Crown, down the street, and to the park. She didn't pay attention to the people around her, the children laughing at the playground, or even the sweet sound of the birds in the trees. She just sat on a bench and stared at her feet.

It hurt. It hurt deep inside. Her friends were in Tokyo and hadn't told her.

_Maybe they didn't know how to tell you._

She sighed and gave a mental shrug. That's probably it. They didn't know how to tell their best friend that they were in town after so long and that they were going to be hanging out at the Crown today. That's all.

_Stop feeling sorry for yourself!_

But it was hard not to feel sorry for herself. She was lonely. She was depressed. But she was also tired. She was tired of being lonely and depressed. So what does one do about it?

_Therapy._

She snorted at that thought and a small smile crossed her face as she imagined going to a therapist and talking about how her senshi just didn't seem to want to hang out with her, even after all the youma they'd fought.

The smile grew as she imagined the therapist's face after hearing that.

"It's good to see a smile on that beautiful face."

Usagi snapped back from her thoughts at the familiar voice. In front of her were two women, one tall and muscular with short blonde hair and the other shorter and light with long wavy hair.

"Haruka-san! Michiru-san!" Usagi said excitedly, a genuine smile gracing her face.

"Hey, Koneko," Haruka said with a grin. She put her hand on Michiru's back and guided her to sit on the bench to Usagi's right. Then the tall blonde took the available space to Usagi's left. "What's going on?"

Usagi shook her head and her smile got a little smaller before she forced it to grow again. "What are you two doing here? I thought you were on tour!"

Michiru smiled and linked her arm through Usagi's. "We are. We made sure our last stop was Tokyo so we could spend some time with you. We've missed you."

Usagi just stared at the aqua haired woman. Tears slowly gathered in the blonde's eyes and her lower lip started to tremble. "You-you did that," she gave a harsh swallow. "For me?"

Michiru looked confused. "Hai, you are our hime, you know."

Tears started to fall down Usagi's cheeks, leaving salty trails in their wake.

"Koneko," Haruka said with worry coloring her voice. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I-I-" And Usagi burst into tears. She cried harder than she had in a long time. She buried her face into Michiru's shoulder and threw her arms around her waist, not even noticing Haruka put her arms around both of them.

Usagi sobbed and in between the sobs told the story of being alone and letting Cosmos slowly take over her heart. All to protect herself from the loneliness and depression that had slowly crept up on her in the past year.

As the sobs lessened and Usagi started to relax in Michiru's arms, the aqua-haired woman looked over the younger woman's shoulder and met her partner's eyes. A silent conversation passed between them before Michiru started to speak.

"Usagi-chan," she said softly, running a hand through silver hair. "Do you remember when you were fourteen and would get an allowance?"

Usagi paused mid-sniff and looked up at the older senshi with confusion clouding her eyes. "H-hai…"

Michiru smiled. "You would take that money and spend it right away, wouldn't you? And then you would be out of money for the rest of the month. Am I right?"

Usagi nodded, a small smile gracing her face at the memories of a younger her.

"And then you would go back to your mother, ashamed at how fast you spent the money but she would just sigh, shake her head, and tell you to spend what she gave you wisely. You never listened, did you?"

The silver head shook but a smile still covered Usagi's face. "Not until I moved out."

Michiru smiled and winked at Haruka, who was smiling as well. "I think your senshi were kind of like you when you were living at home."

A silver eyebrow raised as confusion entered dark blue eyes. "Nani?"

"They took your permission to leave like you took your allowance. They ran with it. And now that they had the freedom and excitement, they are ashamed at how they acted."

Comprehension entered Usagi's eyes and the two outer senshi saw a transformation go through their hime. Tension left her face, her shoulders relaxed, and a small, tiny spark appeared in her eyes.

"They didn't think," she muttered. "They just went. And lived."

Michiru nodded. "And now they are back."

"For good?" Usagi asked, her voice small and unsure again.

"Who knows?" Haruka chimed in. "But they are here now. Why waste time being untrusting?"

Usagi bit her lip and studied the two women. "But it's hard," she muttered. "To trust again after being so hurt."

Haruka put her arm around Usagi's shoulders. "Koneko, the Usagi we know would welcome them back with open arms, no questions asked."

"But I'm not that Usagi anymore. I've changed."

"Hai, you have," Michiru stated, running a hand through soft silver hair. "And so have they. But they are your senshi and your closest friends. If you can't trust them, who can you trust?"

Silence fell between the three women, two just waiting and one lost in thought. Finally, the comfortable silence was broken.

"You're right," Usagi said with a nod.

"Of course," Haruka stated, grinning but then wincing when Michiru reached around Usagi and punched her lover in the arm.

The Senshi of the Moon smiled and stood up. "I should go and talk to them, ne?"

The other two stood up beside her. "You should," Michiru said with a grin. "We'll go with you."

Haruka nodded. "We came to Tokyo to see you so we may as well hang out with you."

Usagi grinned but that grin slowly fell off her face. "Iie," she whispered.

"Nani?" Haruka asked, confusion evident in both hers and Michiru's eyes.

They watched as their hime seemed to go through a transformation. The tension entered her face again, the spark left her eyes, and her shoulders stiffened. And all she said was one word.

"Youma."

…..

The only sound at the table with the _tap tap tap_ of Minako hitting the table with her fingernail. No one spoke. No one sighed. In fact, it seemed like no one was breathing.

It was driving Luna crazy.

And she wasn't supposed to talk. Cats don't talk. Well, not usually. At least not in public.

Finally, Ami spoke.

"Minna, we need to talk about what just happened."

Minako's head snapped up. "I'll tell you what just happened," she said shrilly. "Usagi just walked in, saw us all hanging out together, and then walked out. That's what happened."

Luna rolled her eyes.

"Did you see the look in her eyes?" Makoto asked.

"Did you see her hair?" Rei muttered. "Why is it silver while she's Usagi?"

"We've told you," Ami answered with a sigh. "Cosmos has taken over."

"But," Rei started. "I still felt…" she trailed off, confusion filling her eyes.

"Felt what, Rei-chan?" Minako asked.

Rei sighed. "I know this sounds weird so just bear with me here, okay?"

Nods came from the others, including Luna.

"I still felt Usagi; our Usagi. The Usagi we knew in high school, before Chaos."

"How?" Ami asked.

Rei shrugged. "I don't know. But she's there. I felt Cosmos. I felt the coldness and harshness that is Cosmos. But I also felt the warmth and love that is Usagi." She made eye contact with each of the others at the table. "She's there, minna. Our Usagi, our Odango Atama is still there. She's just been buried by Cosmos. And I think Usagi has let it happen."

Minako nodded. "She let it happen to protect herself."

"Protect herself from what?" Makoto asked, already knowing the answer.

"Us." Rei said softly.

The jingle of the bell over the door broke another silence that threatened to fall over the table.

Eyes widened when Haruka walked into the Crown, her blonde hair mussed from the wind and a slight hitch in her breath, indicating a long run. A very long run. The Wind Senshi doesn't get winded very easily.

"Minna," she said as she briskly walked over to the table. "Usagi needs your help."

"Nani?" Ami asked. "With what?"

"She isn't fully healed. And she's fighting a youma now. Michiru is there but it may take more."

Nothing else was said. The four young women and one black cat jumped up and ran out the door, Haruka not far behind.

…

Usagi knew she wasn't healed. She had taken too many beatings in the past few days to be at top form. But she had to fight anyway. It was her duty as protector of the earth. What choice did she have.

But she accepted Sailor Neptune's help. She wasn't a fool. If help was offered (especially at this point) she would definitely accept it.

The youma was large. But they all were these days. It was ugly. Again, nothing unusual there. But it was also very strong and very smart. It had noticed right away that Cosmos was hurt. And it pinpointed the exact locations of her wounds. Her shoulder was currently bleeding and her ribs felt bruised, if not cracked. The fight wasn't going well.

She had let Cosmos come to the forefront. Cosmos was the strongest and could fight through the pain. But Cosmos wasn't in complete control anymore. Usagi and the Sailor Moon from the past were present as well. And while Cosmos may think that having those two present would weaken her, Usagi knew that it would only make her stronger.

And that was about to be proven.

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"

A large golden heart seemed to come out of nowhere and slam into the youma's chest, causing a roaring wailing to escape the creature's mouth. Sailor Cosmos looked behind her and felt her breath catch in her throat.

"Minna," she whispered.

Nothing else was said. Nothing else needed to be said. Everyone fell back into the routine. They kicked youma ass. The youma took hits from left, right, front, and back. Sure, it got a few hits in as well. Sailor Uranus went for a little flight and Sailor Mercury had a little trouble getting her breath back after falling on her butt. But all in all, the youma took a beating.

And when Sailor Cosmos brought up her scepter and fixed the youma with a glare, every senshi present knew what was coming. Or they thought they did.

She didn't say a word. She just looked at the bleeding, growling youma. And then she smiled. She mouthed one word, which made the youma cock it's head in confusion, and then a blinding white light engulfed the creature. And it was gone.

No one had to ask what she said. They all read her lips. It was one simple word. But what they did have to ask was…

"Why did you thank it?" Rei asked bluntly as she let her transformation fade.

Cosmos looked back at her and watched as the rest of the senshi there let their senshi outfits fade as well. Gathered around her were her friends.

"Because it helped me see that I need you, all of you. It showed me that doing this with friends is so much easier than doing this alone." She studied each of her friends, four of which were looking at her with embarrassed, shamed looks on their faces, and two who were smiling at her. "It helped me to see what I have been told many times before." She winked at Luna, who just winked back. "So, I had to thank it."

"And that is what makes you…you, Hime."

The deep mysterious voice seemed to come from the space before Sailor Cosmos but everyone present knew who it was. A second later, Sailor Pluto appeared, her Time Staff in hand and Sailor Saturn by her side.

"Pluto-san," Cosmos said with a small bow.

"Hime," Pluto said as she and Saturn gave a deeper bow. "It is good to see you doing well."

"At last," Saturn added.

Cosmos raised a silver eyebrow. "I would ask how you two would know how I've been but I guess that would be pointless."

Pluto smiled while Saturn just grinned. "Seeing how Saturn does live with me…" Pluto trailed off. She and Saturn let their transformations fade and in their place stood Setsuna and Hotaru.

Setsuna allowed a bigger smile to form. "We are very pleased to see you looking so well."

Cosmos snorted. "I've survived."

The four inner senshi flinched while Setsuna raised an eyebrow. "Hai, you have. I had no doubt you would."

"What do you mean by that?" Rei asked.

"You and your hime have been through a sort of test," she said looking at the inner senshi.

"A test?" Makoto asked. "What sort of test?"

"And why?" Ami added on.

"A test to see if your friendship could survive. And if your hime could suvive and not lose herself."

Cosmos looked to her feet, feeling ashamed. She almost did lose herself. In fact…

Her transformation faded, leaving behind Tsukino Usagi.

"And you all passed, to put it plainly," Setsuna stated, seeing the look in her hime's eyes. "It was rough going at some points. You four seemed to forget about your hime and best friend and Usagi almost let Cosmos take over. But you all came to your senses."

"But why?" Minako asked. "Why did this happen? Why did Usagi have to go through this?"

Setsuna looked Minako in the eyes. "Because you all had to grow up, Minako-chan. This is something that every Moon Queen has gone through in some form or fashion. It may not be in the same way or at the same time and it isn't something that is planned out. But every princess must go through this in order to become Queen."

"But Crystal Tokyo," Ami started.

"Will not be," Setsuna stated. "That doesn't mean, however, that our hime will not be a queen. She will not marry the prince that was chosen for her but that does not mean she cannot rule alone. Her mother did it. Why can't she?"

Usagi looked up. Her dark blue eyes filling with tears. "But it hurt so much, Setsuna-san. Why?"

Garnet eyes softened, as they often did when they focused on her hime. "Usaig-chan, I'm so sorry. I hated seeing you hurt so much. It tore me up. But there was nothing I could do. I had nothing to do with it. No one had anything to do with it. It just needed to happen." She put her arms around Usagi and pulled her to her chest. "But it is over now, Hime. And you have made it through. You are stronger and more sure of yourself now."

Usagi nodded into Setsuna's chest and sniffed. Then she felt more arms around her. She looked up and saw all of her senshi surrounding her, tears on their faces but smiles showing that these tears were tears of joy.

Usagi closed her eyes and smiled. This…this was home. Being surrounded by her friends. This was where she was supposed to be.

To be continued…

Yes, there will be more. Only about one more chapter. An epilogue I think. Come on, you can't tell me you didn't see the end in sight!

How was it? Good? Bad? Ugly? Only so-so? Let me know! But please be constructive. If you hate it, tell me why. I don't want to make the same mistake twice!

Thanks, guys!


	10. Chapter 10

**Please Read**

_So, I've had this ready for a while and couldn't upload it because of problems with the site so I apologize. _

Yes, it's been a while. And I apologize to my faithful readers. And I know I have lost some along the way. But I got very discouraged after my last chapter. I got very few reviews and the few I did get were not so good. I was told many times that the "test thing" came out of nowhere and seemed like it was just a "quick fix" type deal. Well, I'm here to say that it wasn't. The test (as Pluto called it) was something I had planned from the beginning. And it's something that people go through at some point in their life. We all lose friends. That's a fact of life. And we all go through some sort of "test" that makes us who we are in the long run.

The test that Usagi went through is a little more intense because she has youma and magical powers involved in her test. This wasn't a test that Pluto had planned and that Usagi had to pass. It just naturally happened and since it happened, Usagi grew and changed. She had to go through it to become who she needed to be.

Also, one reviewer asked why Crystal Tokyo couldn't happen without Mamoru. Well, here's my answer. In the Crystal Tokyo the senshi saw in Sailor Moon R there was a king and queen. That was the future they saw. It has now been changed. So, the Crystal Tokyo that they saw wasn't going to happen. And no, every queen does not need a consort, Queen Serenity didn't have one. She ruled by herself. So, why can't Usagi?

Okay, another note. Please, please, please review. I love seeing that y'all favorited the story but I live off reviews. In fact, I wouldn't have written this chapter if it hadn't been for PSVT and the wonderful review I received. The review really encouraged me and reminded me that while everyone may not review, there are people out there that do care what happens in this story. So, this chapter is dedicated not only to PSVT but also to the wonderful readers I have that have stuck with me through this. Thank you!

Disclaimer: Don't own it. Never have. Never will.

Last but definetly not least: Drum roll, please…A huge big thanks to Laura! I love you so very much!

…..

"Ne, Luna?"

The black cat in question looked up from her water bowl and gave a questioning glance to her charge. "Hai?"

Usagi was standing in front of her in jeans and a bra. "What shirt do you think I should wear?"

Luna blinked then quickly looked away. "Usagi, put on a shirt!"

The silver-haired young woman pouted and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "But that's what I can't decide on! I can't put on a shirt if I don't know which one to wear!"

Luna gave a sigh of irritation and just shook her head, her eyes still averted. "Any shirt is fine, Usagi. You're just going out with the girls. It's not like they care what you are wearing."

Silence was the only response.

The cat finally looked back at her charge and started at the sly look that had covered the face of the fighter of justice.

"N-nani?" Luna stuttered, knowing Usagi was about to do something that a nice wholesome girl wouldn't dream of doing.

"Ne, Luna," Usagi said, the sly look still on her face. "Why are you so embarrassed? It isn't like you haven't seen me in this before?"

Luna blinked and slowly backed up. Something was about to happen. She could feel it. Call it her "cat senses". And they were so tingling.

"What are you thinking, Usagi?"

All Usagi did was grin and step towards her.

"Usagi…"

And that's when Usagi struck. She lunged toward the cat and scooped her up in her arms, pressing her to her almost naked chest.

"USAGIII!"

A next-door neighbor looked up from his book after hearing the scream but then shrugged and went back to reading when nothing else was heard.

…

"Mou, Luna. I can't believe you scratched me so bad."

Luna huffed and ran a paw over her ears, trying to calm herself down. "What else did you expect me to do? You had me pressed up against you. It was awkward!"

Usagi looked up from examining the scratch that was sluggishly bleeding on her chest to grin at the cat. "I know, that's why I did it." She giggled and grabbed a tissue to softly dab the blood off.

Luna let a smile cover her face at the sound of Usagi's giggle. But then she frowned again. "But really, Usagi. What were you thinking?"

The grin on the silver-haired woman's face grew. "You are so funny when you are uncomfortable."

"Nani?" Luna said indignantly. "That's why you did that?"

"Why else would I? You're like a sister to me, Luna. And sisters tease each other, ne? Just think of that as a really big prank."

Luna just blinked at the girl.

"Now, what shirt should I wear?"

Luna followed Usagi back to her room, the cat's mind still running through what Usagi had said. But she didn't want to dwell on it. There were other things that needed her attention.

"Usagi?"

Usagi looked over her shoulder at the cat as she rummaged through her closet. "Hai?"

"How are you feeling about this sleep-over?"

That made the young woman pause in her rummaging. She sighed and slowly lowered herself to the floor, sitting cross-legged in front of her closet. "I'm nervous."

Luna nodded and climbed onto Usagi's lap, purring as the young woman started petting her. "Why?"

"You know I'm still having nightmares, Luna. And there's always the occasional youma that decides to ruin my night. What if one of those things happens tonight?"

Luna's red eyes met the dark blue ones above her. "They are your senshi, Usa. They will help you through."

Usagi looked away from Luna's gaze and bit her lower lip.

"You still don't trust them, do you?" the cat asked softly.

Usagi sighed and slowly shook her head. "Not fully."

"It makes sense," Luna said. "They hurt you. You closed yourself off from them to avoid being hurt even more. But you've got to open up again, Usagi. They're here."

"But for how long?" was the soft, almost inaudible question.

"They've only officially been back for a week, you know," Luna said, putting her paw on her charge's hand. "After they all got everything settled, they moved back here in no time, just to be back with you."

Usagi closed her eyes and slowly nodded.

"And don't you dare feel guilty." Luna said sternly.

Dark blue eyes opened in surprise.

"I know what you're thinking. You hate that they dropped everything to come back here; to come back to you."

The blue gaze avoiding hers answered that question better than any words could.

Luna sighed. "Usagi, they did that of their own free will. They wanted to come back."

"But it was for me! They gave up so much-"

"And they will continue to give up so much," Luna interrupted. "They do that willingly. Can't you see that? They love you! They love you so much that they will do whatever it takes to be there for you!"

"But I hate that!" Usagi shouted.

"Nani?"

"I hate it when they're gone and I hate it when they sacrifice their own lives to be with me! I don't know what I want anymore, Luna! This is driving me crazy! Why can't I just be happy that they are here? But I'm forever worrying about them leaving me again or upset that they gave up their lives for me!"

The only thing heard for a few seconds was Usagi's harsh breathing as she struggled to hold back her tears.

"Usagi," Luna said softly, to get her princess's attention.

Watery eyes looked at her and Luna gave a soft smile. "That's just the way you are, Hime. And that is why they will continue to make sacrifices for you."

Eyes widened and Luna was pulled into Usagi's almost naked chest again. However, there were no screams this time.

…

"Iie! I don't want to!"

Laughter echoed through the Crown, making other customers smile at the joyous sound that came from the booth in the corner. Five young women were sitting there, laughing and having a good time with each other as they finished their meals.

"Come on, Minako!" Rei said with a grin. "Just try it!"

The blonde shook her head; her blue eyes closed as tightly as her mouth against the fork that was trying to invade her space.

"But it's good!" Rei laughed.

"No, it's not, Minako-chan!" Usagi argued from beside the blonde. "Don't let her fool you! It's got coconut, banana, AND fish in it! It's disgusting!"

Blue eyes widened at the mention of fish and a slightly green tint colored Minako's face. "Fish?" she muttered through her closed lips. "Why would they do that? Why put fish in a dessert?"

Ami giggled into her hand and Makoto chuckled and shook her head.

Rei raised an eyebrow at Usagi. "Fish, Usagi? Where the hell did you get fish?"

Usagi just shrugged and let a grin cover her face. "Ne, Minako-chan, I'll eat it for you."

Minako glanced over at her friend with surprise.

"I'll taste it for you so you won't have to!" Usagi thrust a fist in the air and nodded to Rei. "Okay, Rei-chan. Bring it on!"

Rei just shrugged and pushed the fork at Usagi, who opened her mouth wide and accepted the bite. The other girls watched in awe, amusement, and barely concealed laughter as their leader chewed the bite.

Suddenly Usagi clutched her throat and started gagging. Minako gasped and grabbed her friend, while Rei rolled her eyes, and Ami and Makoto started laughing.

"Minako, help me!"

The blonde pulled Usagi to her. "Usagi? What's wrong?"

"It…it…was…"

"Was what? Was what?"

"Wonderful!"

Minako's eyes widened and she let go of Usagi, who was laughing along with the others.

"Nani?"

"You just got duped, Minako-chan!" Makoto said through her laughter.

Blue eyes just blinked. She glanced over at Usagi, who was happily chewing the piece she had been given. Realization dawned.

"Hey!" Minako exclaimed. "I want to try it now!"

Rei shook her head with a grin. "Nope, that was the last piece. I offered it to you and you refused it."

"NANI!" She looked back at Usagi, who just grinned at her as she swallowed the piece of cake Rei had just offered her.

Minako narrowed her eyes at the silver-haired woman. "You tricked me!"

Usagi shrugged. "I wanted another piece."

"You lied to me!"

"All's fair in love and cake!"

"You conniving, deceitful, lying…"

"Don't finish that sentence, Minako," Rei said, shaking her finger at the blonde. "You shouldn't say such things about our princess."

Usagi looked smug.

"Even if they are true," Rei finished with a smirk.

It was Minako's turn to laugh at the look of shock on Usagi's face. The other's quickly followed, even Usagi, and soon they had moved on to other topics, leaving the cake and missed opportunity behind.

Motoki watched all of this from behind the counter, his eyes focusing on one of the women more often. She looked so much happier. He smiled as they burst out laughing again but the smile fell from his face at one thought.

_I hope they stay. And I hope she stays this happy for the rest of her life._

He knew that last wish was unrealistic. But there was no harm in hoping.

…

They were at the jinja now. It was close to 10 p.m. and they were all pretty tired. Ami had just recently started her residency at a pretty big hospital in Tokyo, Rei and the jinja were usually pretty swamped with visitors and since Grandpa had retired the responsibility fell on her, Makoto was working on opening her own restaurant, and Minako had been meeting with producers all week about a new movie they were filming in Tokyo that they wanted her in.

"We are getting old, minna," Usagi muttered as they all went through their bags to pull out their pajamas.

Tired chuckles filled the room as the others agreed.

Usagi blinked as she lifted her shirt over her head and reached for her sleep shirt. But a loud gasp stopped her mid-reach.

"Usagi-chan? What happened?" Ami asked, her eyes wide as she stared at her friend.

Usagi raised her eyebrows and looked down at where Ami's gaze had landed. She started laughing. "Oh, Luna scratched me this afternoon. It was my fault though. It's okay. Nothing big."

Ami shook her head. "I didn't mean that."

Confusion filled Usagi's gaze until she looked past the recent scratch and at the scars that covered her torso. "Oh," she muttered.

There were so many of them. She had slowly started to "collect" them right after her senshi left and they just kept adding up. One particularly bad one went from her left shoulder to her right hip, angling right between her breasts. A hundred other ones littered her body. She was thankful she still had on her jeans. At least the scars on her legs weren't visible yet.

"They're from youma, aren't they?" Rei asked softly, guilt filling her eyes.

The others looked away from Usagi in shame. Usagi just swallowed the lump that had lodged itself in her throat.

Minako suddenly walked over to Usagi and went behind her, studying her back as well.

"There are more here," she whispered.

Tears fell down Ami and Minako's faces. Makoto clenched her fist and Rei bit her lip. And Usagi just stared at the floor, not sure what to say or do.

Suddenly, a warm touch startled her out of her thoughts. Rei was in front of her and was softly tracing a raised scar on the left side of her abdomen. "What is this one from?" the Senshi of Mars asked in a broken voice.

"A youma's sword five months ago," was the raspy whisper that came from the princess's throat.

Another hand landed on her and Usagi looked behind her at Minako, who was tracing a burn on the back of her right shoulder. "And this one?"

"A youma's flame breath 3 months ago."

Makoto lightly touched her upper left arm and the three horizontal scars that adorned it. "These?"

Usagi bit her lower lip. "Youma claws one month ago."

Ami very gently traced the long scar from her left shoulder to right hip. "And this one, Usagi. What is this one from?"

Tears fell from Usagi's eyes and a soft sob escaped from her throat before she got out, "Youma's claw, one year ago."

"Kami-sama," Minako whispered, coming around to stand in front of her friend. She eyed the biggest scar with tears swimming in her eyes. "How could we?"

"Iie," Usagi whispered. "It wasn't you."

Rei looked up into Usagi's eyes and pulled her into her arms. "It may as well have been us, Usagi-chan. We left you here to fight them on your own."

"Demo-"

"Iie, Usagi," Minako whispered, putting her arms around her princess as well. "Iie."

Makoto and Ami embraced the crying silver-haired woman and the five of them cried in each other's arms, letting out feelings of guilt, loneliness, and helplessness. But when they were finished, they all felt as if a weight had been lifted off every single shoulder in that room.

…

They had finally all gone to sleep. Sleeping bags adorned the floor of Rei's room. Rei was in her bed, with the other four spread out on the floor all sleeping soundly.

But one form started tossing around in her sleeping bag and muttering softly to herself. Harsh breathing filled the air and the words slowly became a little more audible.

Violet eyes opened when a particularly loud "Iie" sounded out. Rei sat up in bed and looked to the floor, trying to figure out where the noise came from.

More tossing and turning and a few more muttered words directed her gaze to the silver-haired head poking out of one bag.

"Usagi," she whispered as she slowly slipped out of bed.

She didn't get far.

A loud, pain-filled scream broke through the air, waking the rest of the girls in the room and echoing through the night air, making birds startle awake as well.

Rei gave up trying to be silent and rushed to Usagi's side. Her princess was now sitting up, tears rolling down her face and eyes wide and full of fear, sorrow, and despair. There was also a glazed look in those eyes that told Rei that Usagi was still in the grips of whatever nightmare caused her such pain.

Usagi was only aware of one thing. All of her senshi were dead. They were at her feet, dead. They had left her all alone. And there was nothing she could do to fix it. Her heart hurt, not only from the pain of losing her closet friends but also from the physical pain that wracked her body.

Chaos laughed. "Finally, time has come to become one again! The galaxy's most powerful light, Sailor Moon. Give me your power. My long wish, my wish to rule space is finally going to come true."*

Usagi sobbed but in her mind she knew this was a dream. A dream of a memory. And this is usually where she woke up. But for some reason…it kept going this time.

"I can't fight anymore," she heard herself telling Galaxia. "Everybody is gone. I wasn't always fighting for peace and justice, I was fighting for my friends and loved ones. Everything is gone. I have nothing important to me left. What is there to fight for?"*

"Iie, Sailor Moon."

Usagi turned and watched as Chibi Chibi turned in Sailor Cosmos. "There is always something to fight for. And you have so much to fight for. Don't give up hope." The beautiful senshi leaned close to Sailor Moon and put a hand to her face. "I did and I became what I didn't want to become. You don't have to."

Usagi blinked. This wasn't a memory. This never happened.

Cosmos smiled. "You have made it through, Serenity. You have come through the battle even stronger than before."

Around them, the scene of the final battle faded and they were left standing in empty whiteness.

"Cosmos…"

The senshi's cold smile started showing some warmth. She ran a hand over Usagi's blonde pigtail.

_Wait, blonde?_

"You are stronger than I ever was, Usagi. I don't know what it is that you have that I don't but you are so much stronger for it. And that is what saved you from becoming like me."

"But I almost became you. I almost-"

"Exactly. Almost. But not quite."

The senshi closed her eyes and her smile grew. "You are still Sailor Cosmos but Serenity and Usagi are very much alive in you. That is more than I can ever say about me." She opened her eyes. "Live well, Princess. Live life to the fullest and live well."

Sailor Cosmos placed a soft, feather-light kiss on Usagi's lips and slowly faded into nothingness. "Good luck, Princess. And good-bye."

Usagi woke up with a gasp and blinked at seeing her friends gathered around her, their worried expressions telling her that she woke them up rather abruptly with the horrifying part of her dream.

"Usagi?" Ami asked softly.

Usagi blinked and looked at each of her friends, taking in their features and expressions. The last one she settled on was Minako, who was studying her intently.

"Um, Usagi," Minako licked her lips, as if unsure of how to say something.

Usagi raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Nani?"

"Um, this may be inappropriate considered you just woke up from a nightmare but," she paused and took a deep breath. "What happened to your hair?"

"Eh?" Usagi asked she brought a handful of hair over her shoulder and to her face. In front of her was not silver hair anymore but it wasn't back to it's original blonde. Instead it was a perfect mix of blonde and silver.

"And when did you do it?" Minako continued.

Usagi just gave a soft smile and shrugged. "It just represents who I am, Minako-chan. That's all."

At their blank looks, Usagi quickly launched into an explanation. She unloaded the burden of the nightmares that had been plaguing her for the past year. And her senshi listened. And they were there for support, physically and emotionally.

It wasn't until the clock hit 2 a.m. when Usagi felt the tingle. And she fell silent.

"Usagi?" Makoto asked, worried about the blank look on the princess's face.

Usagi blinked and slowly stood up. "Gomen, minna. But I have to go."

"Is it a youma?" Rei asked, standing up as well.

Usagi only nodded.

Minako stood up, quickly followed by Makoto and Ami. "Then we're going, too."

Everyone nodded while Usagi looked at them. She seemed hesitant and worried until Minako took her hand and looked into her dark blue eyes.

"Usagi, we're here to help you. To support you. Let us. Let us be here for you. Please."

Usagi studied the woman who could have been her twin back when they were teenagers and was as close to a sister to her. She then looked at the other three women, who were all smiling and nodding their heads.

With a nod and a big grin, Usagi welcomed her friends back, into her life and her heart.

Then End

*Taken directly from the translated manga of Sailor Moon StarS Volume 3

Well, there it is. The final chapter. Please tell me what you think. Please review. Please. I could possibly write a companion piece to this but I have to be inspired. And inspiration runs free when the reviews come in. So, just think about it.

Again, thank you to all my faithful readers. Y'all rock!


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